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.
- #2,044 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #14,944 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,171
- born since 1880
- 1890s
- peak decade
Yes -- Bess is the #14944 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 7,171 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Bess recorded 7,171 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #14944 nationally today, ahead of 14% of girls, 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.
- #2,044 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #14,944 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 7,171 born since 1880
- 1890s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bess ranks #2,044 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #14,944 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 7,171 born since 1880, peaking in the 1890s.
- #2,044 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #14,944 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,171
- born since 1880
- 1890s
- peak decade
Bess's 7,171 recorded births place it above 97.17% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
21 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Bess compares
7,171 Top 11% higher than 89% 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
Bess's all-time total is 19x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bess | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,171 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 182 | 21 | 19,840 |
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 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
1890s is the heaviest window (1,526 births, 21% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Bess sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bess most popular? ▼
Where is Bess most popular? ▼
How long has the name Bess been used? ▼
What names are similar to Bess? ▼
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
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
Compare Bess side by side: Bess vs Bessie Bess vs Besse Bess vs Bessy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bess
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bess: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1889)
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 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 August 2026.