Belle
Belle was given to 247 girls in 2025, #1,013 among girls’ names; 19,227 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 6,760 Americans named Belle and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (35% of everyone recorded); the median is 13 years old and half are between 7 and 25.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Belle by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Belle mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Belle is “a female given name from French.” Its etymology gives the sense “beauty, beautiful” (belle).
Also “a female given name from English.”
From French belle (“beauty, beautiful”), from Latin bella.
/bɛl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Belle?
#1,013 among girls’ names, 2025
Belle rose from #1,050 in 2015 to #1,013 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.14 to 0.15 per 1,000.
407 babies in 1915, the peak
Belle peaked in 1915, when 407 girls were given it, #288 among girls’ names. The 247 births of 2025 are 61% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 247 | #1,013 | 0.15 |
| 2024 | 255 | #1,005 | 0.16 |
| 2023 | 250 | #1,012 | 0.16 |
| 2022 | 274 | #971 | 0.17 |
| 2021 | 241 | #1,046 | 0.15 |
| 2020 | 255 | #1,000 | 0.16 |
| 2019 | 307 | #874 | 0.18 |
| 2018 | 312 | #870 | 0.18 |
| 2017 | 339 | #806 | 0.20 |
| 2016 | 293 | #936 | 0.17 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 251 | #1,050 | 0.14 |
| 2014 | 251 | #1,033 | 0.14 |
| 2013 | 190 | #1,255 | 0.11 |
| 2012 | 163 | #1,408 | 0.09 |
| 2011 | 144 | #1,527 | 0.08 |
| 2010 | 155 | #1,457 | 0.09 |
| 2009 | 136 | #1,642 | 0.07 |
| 2008 | 170 | #1,396 | 0.09 |
| 2007 | 144 | #1,570 | 0.07 |
| 2006 | 146 | #1,506 | 0.08 |
| 2005 | 152 | #1,406 | 0.08 |
| 2004 | 147 | #1,414 | 0.08 |
| 2003 | 107 | #1,756 | 0.06 |
| 2002 | 113 | #1,632 | 0.06 |
| 2001 | 108 | #1,670 | 0.06 |
| 2000 | 74 | #2,155 | 0.04 |
| 1999 | 56 | #2,528 | 0.03 |
| 1998 | 68 | #2,123 | 0.04 |
| 1997 | 62 | #2,200 | 0.04 |
| 1996 | 55 | #2,372 | 0.03 |
| 1995 | 35 | #3,222 | 0.02 |
| 1994 | 41 | #2,879 | 0.02 |
| 1993 | 35 | #3,222 | 0.02 |
| 1992 | 19 | #5,067 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 8 | #9,415 | under 0.01 |
| 1990 | 13 | #6,497 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 9 | #8,110 | under 0.01 |
| 1988 | 6 | #10,502 | under 0.01 |
| 1987 | 12 | #5,949 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 6 | #9,662 | under 0.01 |
| 1985 | 9 | #7,015 | 0.01 |
| 1984 | 13 | #5,237 | 0.01 |
| 1983 | 18 | #4,128 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 15 | #4,733 | 0.01 |
| 1981 | 13 | #5,284 | 0.01 |
| 1980 | 11 | #5,944 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 21 | #3,674 | 0.01 |
| 1978 | 14 | #4,699 | 0.01 |
| 1977 | 15 | #4,447 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 12 | #4,921 | 0.01 |
| 1975 | 15 | #4,159 | 0.01 |
| 1974 | 21 | #3,220 | 0.01 |
| 1973 | 17 | #3,649 | 0.01 |
| 1972 | 18 | #3,407 | 0.01 |
| 1971 | 16 | #3,799 | 0.01 |
| 1970 | 22 | #3,037 | 0.01 |
| 1969 | 26 | #2,592 | 0.02 |
| 1968 | 18 | #3,065 | 0.01 |
| 1967 | 16 | #3,216 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 18 | #2,946 | 0.01 |
| 1965 | 24 | #2,470 | 0.01 |
| 1964 | 33 | #2,072 | 0.02 |
| 1963 | 28 | #2,255 | 0.01 |
| 1962 | 30 | #2,167 | 0.02 |
| 1961 | 33 | #2,037 | 0.02 |
| 1960 | 35 | #1,927 | 0.02 |
| 1959 | 33 | #1,950 | 0.02 |
| 1958 | 39 | #1,735 | 0.02 |
| 1957 | 41 | #1,681 | 0.02 |
| 1956 | 30 | #1,971 | 0.01 |
| 1955 | 30 | #1,940 | 0.02 |
| 1954 | 43 | #1,539 | 0.02 |
| 1953 | 48 | #1,412 | 0.03 |
| 1952 | 45 | #1,438 | 0.02 |
| 1951 | 50 | #1,313 | 0.03 |
| 1950 | 39 | #1,475 | 0.02 |
| 1949 | 56 | #1,210 | 0.03 |
| 1948 | 47 | #1,345 | 0.03 |
| 1947 | 46 | #1,360 | 0.03 |
| 1946 | 42 | #1,338 | 0.03 |
| 1945 | 40 | #1,261 | 0.03 |
| 1944 | 25 | #1,665 | 0.02 |
| 1943 | 51 | #1,124 | 0.04 |
| 1942 | 45 | #1,181 | 0.03 |
| 1941 | 45 | #1,102 | 0.04 |
| 1940 | 32 | #1,315 | 0.03 |
| 1939 | 42 | #1,107 | 0.04 |
| 1938 | 44 | #1,079 | 0.04 |
| 1937 | 46 | #1,049 | 0.04 |
| 1936 | 42 | #1,083 | 0.04 |
| 1935 | 47 | #1,005 | 0.04 |
| 1934 | 50 | #975 | 0.05 |
| 1933 | 55 | #916 | 0.05 |
| 1932 | 68 | #830 | 0.06 |
| 1931 | 62 | #871 | 0.06 |
| 1930 | 82 | #775 | 0.07 |
| 1929 | 96 | #716 | 0.09 |
| 1928 | 93 | #736 | 0.08 |
| 1927 | 120 | #657 | 0.10 |
| 1926 | 116 | #673 | 0.10 |
| 1925 | 140 | #619 | 0.12 |
| 1924 | 162 | #574 | 0.13 |
| 1923 | 177 | #533 | 0.15 |
| 1922 | 187 | #510 | 0.16 |
| 1921 | 219 | #464 | 0.18 |
| 1920 | 235 | #436 | 0.20 |
| 1919 | 252 | #408 | 0.22 |
| 1918 | 285 | #387 | 0.25 |
| 1917 | 314 | #352 | 0.29 |
| 1916 | 334 | #335 | 0.32 |
| 1915 | 407 | #288 | 0.41 |
| 1914 | 353 | #276 | 0.46 |
| 1913 | 273 | #287 | 0.44 |
| 1912 | 279 | #267 | 0.50 |
| 1911 | 211 | #267 | 0.50 |
| 1910 | 193 | #281 | 0.49 |
| 1909 | 201 | #251 | 0.58 |
| 1908 | 187 | #255 | 0.56 |
| 1907 | 196 | #239 | 0.62 |
| 1906 | 191 | #229 | 0.65 |
| 1905 | 205 | #216 | 0.70 |
| 1904 | 205 | #211 | 0.74 |
| 1903 | 200 | #210 | 0.76 |
| 1902 | 212 | #201 | 0.80 |
| 1901 | 208 | #197 | 0.87 |
| 1900 | 291 | #181 | 1.0 |
| 1899 | 180 | #207 | 0.77 |
| 1898 | 257 | #183 | 1.0 |
| 1897 | 212 | #186 | 0.91 |
| 1896 | 238 | #176 | 1.0 |
| 1895 | 283 | #155 | 1.2 |
| 1894 | 249 | #164 | 1.1 |
| 1893 | 284 | #145 | 1.3 |
| 1892 | 265 | #150 | 1.2 |
| 1891 | 240 | #145 | 1.3 |
| 1890 | 304 | #127 | 1.6 |
| 1889 | 265 | #135 | 1.5 |
| 1888 | 317 | #115 | 1.8 |
| 1887 | 272 | #111 | 1.9 |
| 1886 | 270 | #115 | 1.9 |
| 1885 | 255 | #108 | 1.9 |
| 1884 | 286 | #100 | 2.2 |
| 1883 | 262 | #98 | 2.3 |
| 1882 | 264 | #98 | 2.4 |
| 1881 | 219 | #97 | 2.4 |
| 1880 | 238 | #90 | 2.6 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Belle a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Belle has been recorded only for girls: SSA lists no boys with the name in 146 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Belle: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Belle, and how old are they?
6,760 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 35% of the 19,227 Americans ever recorded as Belle. The median Belle alive today is 13 years old; half are between 7 and 25.
The 2020 Census counted 6,261 people named Belle (6,220 women and girls, 41 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 5,638 born in the U.S. The Census count is 11% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 238 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 571 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 263 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 300 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,930 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 3,440 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Belle born?
The states with the most babies named Belle are New York, California and Texas, with 40% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 1,441 | #835 | 1.5× |
| California | 972 | #767 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 586 | #1,363 | 0.6× |
| Pennsylvania | 481 | #690 | 0.6× |
| Illinois | 351 | #811 | 0.6× |
| Florida | 306 | #1,065 | 0.7× |
| North Carolina | 304 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 294 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 245 | #1,156 | 0.5× |
| Michigan | 236 | #875 | 0.6× |
Where Belle is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Belle is most over-represented in New York: since 1910 it was given 1.5 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Belle with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 108,381 babies since 1880, Belle is the second most given (18% of them). In 2025 it was given to 247 of their 2,413 babies (10%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Belle
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Belle and names like it
- Compare Belle and BellaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sBelle peaked in 1915.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Belle since 1910.
- French namesWiktionary’s origin for Belle: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1915The year the most babies were named Belle.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Belle alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with BMost given first.