Total births
19,227
Girls' name · since 1880
Belle
19,227 babies named Belle in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1915. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1004
- among girls today
- 19,227
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Belle is the #1004 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 19,227 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Belle recorded 19,227 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #1004 nationally today, ahead of 94% of girls, peaking in the 1910s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1004 among girls today
- 19,227 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 94% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Belle is currently the #1004 girls' name in America, more common than 94% of girls - 19,227 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #1004
- among girls today
- 19,227
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other girls
Belle vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1004
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 94% of names given to girls today.
1910s
Peak decade
15% of everyone ever named Belle was born in this single decade.
1915
Single peak year
407 babies were named Belle in 1915 - its busiest year on record.
How Belle compares
19,227 Top 6% higher than 94% of 17,726 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
Belle's all-time total is 50x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Belle | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 19,227 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 407 | 48 | 19,840 |
Belle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Belle's full recorded timeline at 1953, 33% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 67% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1986, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1915 peak of 407 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Belle at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1915
Current rank
#1,004
Active since
1880
Belle popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1915)
- 407
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Belle by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Belle's strongest decade.
2,901 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Belle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
2,648 births
- 1890s
1890s
2,512 births
- 1900s
1900s
2,096 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,901 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,545 births
- 1930s 538
1930s
538 births
- 1940s 429
1940s
429 births
- 1950s 398
1950s
398 births
- 1960s 261
1960s
261 births
- 1970s 171
1970s
171 births
- 1980s 112
1980s
112 births
- 1990s 392
1990s
392 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,297 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,405 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,522 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 2,901 births (15% of all-time use).
How Belle 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 Belle's total volume
Belle vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Belle by state
Where Belle concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,441 | 7.5% |
| #2 | California | | 972 | 5.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 586 | 3.0% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 481 | 2.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 351 | 1.8% |
| #6 | Florida | | 306 | 1.6% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 304 | 1.6% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 294 | 1.5% |
New York share of Belle's total US births 7.5%
Even split
1,441 of 19,227 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Belle appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Belle? ▼
Belle has been given to 19,227 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #1004 as of the latest data. 407 babies were born in 1915, its single highest year.
When was Belle most popular? ▼
Belle was most popular in the 1910s decade with 2,901 total births. The single peak year was 1915.
Where is Belle most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Belle are New York (1,441 births), California (972 births), Texas (586 births).
How long has the name Belle been used? ▼
Records for Belle go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Belle? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bella, Belinda, Belen, Belva, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Belle's data
- Belle's usage has stayed within range of its 1910s decade-level peak (2,901 total births) through the 2020s (1,522) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Belles (1,441 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Belle
Nearby Names Like Belle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Belle
Bella Girl
#109 83,721 births
Belinda Girl
#1722 72,960 births
Belen Girl
#671 12,287 births
Belva Girl
7,960 births
Bellamy Girl
#864 3,745 births
Compare Belle side by side: Belle vs Bella Belle vs Belinda Belle vs Belen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Belle
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Belle: #1004 Girls' Name - 19,227 Births, Peak 1915." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/belle. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Belle 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 June 2026.