Total births
7,171
Girls' name · since 1880
Bess
7,171 babies named Bess in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1889. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 7,171
- total births
- 1880–2025
- years on record
- 1890s
- peak decade
- 21%
- born in that decade
Bess is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 7,171 have been recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Bess recorded 7,171 times among girls since 1880, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, peaking in the 1890s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- 7,171 total births
- 1880–2025 years on record
- 1890s peak decade
- 21% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
7,171 girls have been named Bess since 1880, peaking in the 1890s, last recorded in 2025.
- 7,171
- total births
- 1880–2025
- years on record
- 1890s
- peak decade
- 21%
- born in that decade
1890s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Bess was born in this single decade.
1889
Single peak year
182 babies were named Bess in 1889 - its busiest year on record.
Bess's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bess's SSA record in two at 1951 and the more recent half accounts for 18% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 82%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2004, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1889 peak of 182, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bess at a glance
Last recorded 2025Peak year
1889
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1880
Bess popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1889)
- 182
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bess popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1894 (Bess as boys' name)
Bess by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1890s was Bess's strongest decade.
1,526 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Bess births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
1,099 births
- 1890s
1890s
1,526 births
- 1900s
1900s
1,030 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,076 births
- 1920s
1920s
645 births
- 1930s 251
1930s
251 births
- 1940s 270
1940s
270 births
- 1950s 257
1950s
257 births
- 1960s 219
1960s
219 births
- 1970s 203
1970s
203 births
- 1980s 293
1980s
293 births
- 1990s 127
1990s
127 births
- 2000s 97
2000s
97 births
- 2010s 59
2010s
59 births
- 2020s 19
2020s
19 births
What this shows Peak: 1890s at 1,526 births (21% of all-time use).
How Bess 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 Bess's total volume
Bess vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Bess by state
Where Bess concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 213 | 3.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 201 | 2.8% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 117 | 1.6% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 73 | 1.0% |
| #5 | Missouri | | 48 | 0.7% |
| #6 | Oklahoma | | 35 | 0.5% |
| #7 | Kentucky | | 33 | 0.5% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 26 | 0.4% |
New York share of Bess's total US births 3.0%
Even split
213 of 7,171 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 21 reporting states.
Bess appears in 21 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bess? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 7,171 babies named Bess. The most recent recorded year was 2025. Its busiest year on record was 1889, with 182 births.
When was Bess most popular? ▼
Bess was most popular in the 1890s decade with 1,526 total births. The single peak year was 1889.
Where is Bess most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bess are New York (213 births), Texas (201 births), Illinois (117 births).
How long has the name Bess been used? ▼
Bess has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Bess? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bessie, Besse, Bessy, Besan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Bess's data
- Bess's decade-level peak was the 1890s (1,526 total births); usage has since declined to 19 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Besss (213 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 Bess
Nearby Names Like Bess
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bess
Bessie Girl
#9556 170,140 births
Besse Girl
671 births
Bessy Girl
#13578 334 births
Besan Girl
#11824 125 births
Bessye Girl
105 births
Compare Bess side by side: Bess vs Bessie Bess vs Besse Bess vs Bessy
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
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. "Bess: Baby Name Since 1880 - 7,171 Births, Peak 1889." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bess. 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 Bess 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.