Total births
671
Girls' name · since 1880
Besse
671 babies named Besse 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.
- 671
- total births
- 1880–1926
- years on record
- 1880s
- peak decade
- 32%
- born in that decade
Besse sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 671 recorded since 1880.
Besse has 671 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1880s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 1926.
- 671 total births
- 1880–1926 years on record
- 1880s peak decade
- 32% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
671 girls have been named Besse since 1880, peaking in the 1880s, last recorded in 1926.
- 671
- total births
- 1880–1926
- years on record
- 1880s
- peak decade
- 32%
- born in that decade
1880s
Peak decade
32% of everyone ever named Besse was born in this single decade.
1889
Single peak year
39 babies were named Besse in 1889 - its busiest year on record.
Besse's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Besse's SSA record in two at 1901 and the more recent half accounts for 34% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 66%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1905, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1889 peak of 39, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Besse at a glance
Last recorded 1926Peak year
1889
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1880
Besse popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–1926
- Peak year (1889)
- 39
- Annual births at peak, across 47 years of records
Besse by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1880s was Besse's strongest decade.
214 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Besse births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
214 births
- 1890s
1890s
211 births
- 1900s
1900s
102 births
- 1910s 78
1910s
78 births
- 1920s 66
1920s
66 births
What this shows Peak: 1880s at 214 births (32% of all-time use).
How Besse 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 Besse's total volume
Besse vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Besse? ▼
Besse has been given to 671 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 1926. 39 babies were born in 1889, its single highest year.
When was Besse most popular? ▼
Besse was most popular in the 1880s decade with 214 total births. The single peak year was 1889.
How long has the name Besse been used? ▼
Records for Besse go back to 1880, giving 47 years of history through 1926.
What names are similar to Besse? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bessie, Bess, Bessy, Besan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Besse's data
- Besse's decade-level peak was the 1880s (214 total births); usage has since declined to 66 in the 1920s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- 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 Besse
Nearby Names Like Besse
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Besse
Bessie Girl
#9556 170,140 births
Bess Girl
7,171 births
Bessy Girl
#13578 334 births
Besan Girl
#11824 125 births
Bessye Girl
105 births
Compare Besse side by side: Besse vs Bessie Besse vs Bess Besse 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, 1880–1926 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Besse: Baby Name Since 1880 - 671 Births, Peak 1889." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/besse. 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 Besse 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.