Bessie
Bessie was given to 16 girls in 2025, #6,887 among girls’ names; 170,877 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 19,900 Americans named Bessie and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (12% of everyone recorded); the median is 77 years old and half are between 67 and 85.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Bessie by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Bessie mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Bessie is “a diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth, also used as a formal female given name.”
From Bess + -ie.
/ˈbɛsi/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Bessie?
#6,887 among girls’ names, 2025
Bessie rose from #9,576 in 2015 to #6,887 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 6.2 to 10.0 per million.
4,132 babies in 1916, the peak
Bessie peaked in 1916, when 4,132 babies were given it (4,122 girls, #56 among girls’ names). The 16 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | #6,887 | 0.01 |
| 2024 | 10 | #9,661 | 0.01 |
| 2023 | 15 | #7,303 | 0.01 |
| 2022 | 13 | #8,108 | 0.01 |
| 2021 | 17 | #6,730 | 0.01 |
| 2020 | 16 | #6,970 | 0.01 |
| 2019 | 11 | #9,215 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 9 | #10,695 | 0.01 |
| 2017 | 12 | #8,879 | 0.01 |
| 2016 | 8 | #11,958 | under 0.01 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 11 | #9,576 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 11 | #9,630 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 17 | #7,098 | 0.01 |
| 2012 | 13 | #8,702 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 9 | #11,312 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 8 | #12,450 | under 0.01 |
| 2009 | 9 | #11,599 | under 0.01 |
| 2008 | 15 | #8,181 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 15 | #8,157 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 19 | #6,624 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 15 | #7,560 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 7 | #12,954 | under 0.01 |
| 2003 | 15 | #7,257 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 28 | #4,393 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 26 | #4,575 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 31 | #3,990 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 21 | #5,054 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 27 | #4,149 | 0.02 |
| 1997 | 32 | #3,554 | 0.02 |
| 1996 | 30 | #3,633 | 0.02 |
| 1995 | 26 | #3,982 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 37 | #3,103 | 0.02 |
| 1993 | 24 | #4,269 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 51 | #2,485 | 0.03 |
| 1991 | 65 | #2,070 | 0.03 |
| 1990 | 73 | #1,903 | 0.04 |
| 1989 | 60 | #2,070 | 0.03 |
| 1988 | 53 | #2,149 | 0.03 |
| 1987 | 59 | #1,919 | 0.03 |
| 1986 | 66 | #1,750 | 0.04 |
| 1985 | 85 | #1,460 | 0.05 |
| 1984 | 68 | #1,616 | 0.04 |
| 1983 | 67 | #1,647 | 0.04 |
| 1982 | 89 | #1,375 | 0.05 |
| 1981 | 103 | #1,254 | 0.06 |
| 1980 | 99 | #1,288 | 0.06 |
| 1979 | 102 | #1,251 | 0.06 |
| 1978 | 91 | #1,314 | 0.06 |
| 1977 | 92 | #1,283 | 0.06 |
| 1976 | 106 | #1,122 | 0.07 |
| 1975 | 131 | #957 | 0.09 |
| 1974 | 116 | #1,033 | 0.08 |
| 1973 | 120 | #990 | 0.08 |
| 1972 | 149 | #863 | 0.10 |
| 1971 | 140 | #927 | 0.08 |
| 1970 | 160 | #844 | 0.09 |
| 1969 | 156 | #823 | 0.09 |
| 1968 | 159 | #794 | 0.10 |
| 1967 | 186 | #717 | 0.11 |
| 1966 | 202 | #686 | 0.12 |
| 1965 | 273 | #579 | 0.15 |
| 1964 | 290 | #581 | 0.15 |
| 1963 | 293 | #574 | 0.15 |
| 1962 | 330 | #536 | 0.17 |
| 1961 | 318 | #557 | 0.16 |
| 1960 | 385 | #493 | 0.19 |
| 1959 | 396 | #486 | 0.20 |
| 1958 | 443 | #451 | 0.22 |
| 1957 | 465 | #435 | 0.23 |
| 1956 | 518 | #395 | 0.26 |
| 1955 | 533 | #380 | 0.27 |
| 1954 | 652 | #331 | 0.34 |
| 1953 | 650 | #322 | 0.35 |
| 1952 | 729 | #297 | 0.39 |
| 1951 | 762 | #284 | 0.42 |
| 1950 | 794 | #270 | 0.46 |
| 1949 | 946 | #241 | 0.55 |
| 1948 | 998 | #236 | 0.59 |
| 1947 | 1,012 | #233 | 0.57 |
| 1946 | 1,022 | #225 | 0.65 |
| 1945 | 1,075 | #190 | 0.82 |
| 1944 | 1,122 | #189 | 0.85 |
| 1943 | 1,148 | #190 | 0.82 |
| 1942 | 1,266 | #176 | 0.94 |
| 1941 | 1,176 | #173 | 1.0 |
| 1940 | 1,297 | #162 | 1.1 |
| 1939 | 1,361 | #158 | 1.2 |
| 1938 | 1,419 | #155 | 1.3 |
| 1937 | 1,550 | #143 | 1.5 |
| 1936 | 1,645 | #136 | 1.6 |
| 1935 | 1,756 | #129 | 1.7 |
| 1934 | 1,832 | #128 | 1.8 |
| 1933 | 1,881 | #117 | 1.9 |
| 1932 | 2,093 | #117 | 2.0 |
| 1931 | 2,116 | #113 | 2.0 |
| 1930 | 2,382 | #108 | 2.1 |
| 1929 | 2,380 | #107 | 2.1 |
| 1928 | 2,661 | #101 | 2.3 |
| 1927 | 2,975 | #88 | 2.5 |
| 1926 | 3,054 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1925 | 3,266 | #87 | 2.7 |
| 1924 | 3,404 | #86 | 2.7 |
| 1923 | 3,387 | #81 | 2.8 |
| 1922 | 3,447 | #81 | 2.9 |
| 1921 | 3,678 | #75 | 3.0 |
| 1920 | 3,906 | #71 | 3.3 |
| 1919 | 4,106 | #59 | 3.6 |
| 1918 | 4,101 | #61 | 3.5 |
| 1917 | 3,927 | #61 | 3.6 |
| 1916 | 4,122 | #56 | 3.9 |
| 1915 | 3,888 | #57 | 4.0 |
| 1914 | 3,260 | #55 | 4.3 |
| 1913 | 2,952 | #47 | 4.7 |
| 1912 | 2,832 | #43 | 5.1 |
| 1911 | 2,279 | #40 | 5.4 |
| 1910 | 2,392 | #37 | 6.0 |
| 1909 | 2,276 | #35 | 6.6 |
| 1908 | 2,201 | #34 | 6.6 |
| 1907 | 2,311 | #30 | 7.3 |
| 1906 | 2,396 | #21 | 8.1 |
| 1905 | 2,446 | #20 | 8.4 |
| 1904 | 2,340 | #21 | 8.5 |
| 1903 | 2,339 | #21 | 8.9 |
| 1902 | 2,448 | #19 | 9.3 |
| 1901 | 2,183 | #21 | 9.1 |
| 1900 | 3,044 | #15 | 10.2 |
| 1899 | 2,280 | #19 | 9.8 |
| 1898 | 2,647 | #16 | 10.2 |
| 1897 | 2,407 | #17 | 10.3 |
| 1896 | 2,435 | #18 | 10.2 |
| 1895 | 2,542 | #15 | 10.9 |
| 1894 | 2,520 | #13 | 11.3 |
| 1893 | 2,352 | #15 | 11.0 |
| 1892 | 2,541 | #13 | 12.0 |
| 1891 | 2,323 | #12 | 12.5 |
| 1890 | 2,370 | #11 | 12.4 |
| 1889 | 2,343 | #9 | 13.1 |
| 1888 | 2,278 | #10 | 12.8 |
| 1887 | 1,838 | #13 | 12.6 |
| 1886 | 1,791 | #12 | 12.4 |
| 1885 | 1,588 | #13 | 11.9 |
| 1884 | 1,451 | #15 | 11.2 |
| 1883 | 1,241 | #18 | 11.0 |
| 1882 | 1,144 | #18 | 10.6 |
| 1881 | 903 | #22 | 9.8 |
| 1880 | 796 | #23 | 8.7 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Bessie a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Bessie has been given almost only to girls: 737 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Bessie: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Bessie, and how old are they?
19,900 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 12% of the 170,877 Americans ever recorded as Bessie. The median Bessie alive today is 77 years old; half are between 67 and 85.
The 2020 Census counted 20,905 people named Bessie (20,858 women and girls, 47 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 28,256 born in the U.S. The Census count is 26% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 7,520 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 8,580 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 2,100 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 927 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 287 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 165 |
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 Bessie born?
The states with the most babies named Bessie are Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia, with 22% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Alabama is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 7,545 | not ranked | 2.4× |
| North Carolina | 7,536 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| Georgia | 7,510 | not ranked | 2.1× |
| Mississippi | 7,300 | not ranked | 3.2× |
| Texas | 6,826 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| South Carolina | 5,606 | not ranked | 2.4× |
| Tennessee | 4,814 | not ranked | 1.7× |
| Virginia | 4,745 | not ranked | 1.7× |
| Kentucky | 4,691 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Louisiana | 4,354 | not ranked | 1.9× |
Where Bessie is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Bessie is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 3.2 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 Bessie 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 4 names spelled alike, given to 171,987 babies since 1880, Bessie is the most given (99% of them). In 2025 it was given to 16 of their 21 babies (76%), again the 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 Bessie
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 Bessie and names like it
- Compare Bessie and BesseBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sBessie peaked in 1916.
- Alabama’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Bessie since 1910.
- The top names of 1916The year the most babies were named Bessie.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Bessie alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with BMost given first.