Unisex name · since 1880
Bell
Bell has 2,496 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1900 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,051 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,918 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,496
- born since 1880
- 1890s
- peak decade
Bell currently ranks #10918 among unisex names in America, with 2,496 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bell has been recorded 2,496 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #10918 nationally and more common than 37% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1890s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #4,051 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #10,918 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 2,496 born since 1880
- 1890s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bell ranks #4,051 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,918 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 2,496 born since 1880, peaking in the 1890s.
- #4,051 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #10,918 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,496
- born since 1880
- 1890s
- peak decade
Bell's 2,496 recorded births place it above 94.39% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
10 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Georgia.
How Bell compares
2,496 Top 20% higher than 80% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bell's all-time total is 7x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bell | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,496 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 63 | 21 | 19,840 |
Bell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Bell splits its recorded history at 1929: 17% of all births land in the more recent half, 83% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1943 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1900 peak of 63 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Bell popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1900)
- 63
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bell popularity over time - boys
130 total births recorded since 1905 (Bell as boys' name)
Bell by decade
1890s is the heaviest window (511 births, 20% of the file).
1890s was Bell's strongest decade.
511 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Bell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
416 births
- 1890s
1890s
511 births
- 1900s
1900s
418 births
- 1910s
1910s
450 births
- 1920s
1920s
290 births
- 1930s 125
1930s
125 births
- 1940s 84
1940s
84 births
- 1950s 46
1950s
46 births
- 1960s 18
1960s
18 births
- 1970s 11
1970s
11 births
- 2000s 20
2000s
20 births
- 2010s 64
2010s
64 births
- 2020s 43
2020s
43 births
What this shows Peak: 1890s at 511 births (20% of all-time use).
How Bell compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Bell's total volume
Bell by state
Where Bell concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 64 | 2.6% |
| #2 | South Carolina | | 42 | 1.7% |
| #3 | Mississippi | | 30 | 1.2% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 26 | 1.0% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 12 | 0.5% |
| #6 | Tennessee | | 12 | 0.5% |
| #7 | Virginia | | 11 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 10 | 0.4% |
64 of 2,496 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.
Bell appears in 10 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Bell's data
- Bell's decade-level peak was the 1890s (511 total births); usage has since declined to 43 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Georgia records the most Bells (64 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bell
Nearby Names Like Bell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bell
Compare Bell side by side: Bell vs Bella Bell vs Belinda Bell vs Belle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bell
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1900)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bell draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.