Total births
170,140
Girls' name · since 1880
Bessie
Bessie has 170,140 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1916 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #9556
- among girls today
- 170,140
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 46%
- more common than other girls
170,140 babies have been named Bessie since 1880, making it today's #9556 girls' name.
Bessie has 170,140 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #9556 as of the latest data, more common than 46% of girls, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #9556 among girls today
- 170,140 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 46% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bessie is currently the #9556 girls' name in America, more common than 46% of girls - 170,140 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #9556
- among girls today
- 170,140
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 46%
- more common than other girls
Bessie vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#9556
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 46% of names given to girls today.
1910s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Bessie was born in this single decade.
1916
Single peak year
4,122 babies were named Bessie in 1916 - its busiest year on record.
How Bessie compares
170,140 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Bessie's all-time total is 445x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bessie | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 170,140 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,122 | 48 | 19,840 |
Bessie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Bessie's full recorded timeline at 1953, 5% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 95% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2004, with just 7 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1916 peak of 4,122 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Bessie at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1916
Current rank
#9,556
Active since
1880
Bessie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1916)
- 4,122
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bessie popularity over time - boys
737 total births recorded since 1881 (Bessie as boys' name)
Bessie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Bessie's strongest decade.
33,859 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Bessie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
15,373 births
- 1890s
1890s
24,417 births
- 1900s
1900s
23,984 births
- 1910s
1910s
33,859 births
- 1920s
1920s
32,158 births
- 1930s
1930s
18,035 births
- 1940s 11,062
1940s
11,062 births
- 1950s 5,942
1950s
5,942 births
- 1960s 2,592
1960s
2,592 births
- 1970s 1,207
1970s
1,207 births
- 1980s 749
1980s
749 births
- 1990s 386
1990s
386 births
- 2000s 180
2000s
180 births
- 2010s 109
2010s
109 births
- 2020s 87
2020s
87 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 33,859 births (20% of all-time use).
How Bessie 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 Bessie's total volume
Bessie vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Bessie by state
Where Bessie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Alabama | | 7,540 | 4.4% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 7,536 | 4.4% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 7,510 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Mississippi | | 7,300 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Texas | | 6,826 | 4.0% |
| #6 | South Carolina | | 5,606 | 3.3% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 4,814 | 2.8% |
| #8 | Virginia | | 4,745 | 2.8% |
Alabama share of Bessie's total US births 4.4%
Even split
7,540 of 170,140 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Bessie appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bessie? ▼
170,140 babies have been named Bessie since 1880. It currently ranks #9556 among girls. The peak year was 1916 with 4,122 births.
When was Bessie most popular? ▼
Bessie was most popular in the 1910s decade with 33,859 total births. The single peak year was 1916.
Where is Bessie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bessie are Alabama (7,540 births), North Carolina (7,536 births), Georgia (7,510 births).
How long has the name Bessie been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Bessie since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Bessie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bess, Besse, Bessy, Besan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Bessie's data
- Bessie's decade-level peak was the 1910s (33,859 total births); usage has since declined to 87 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Alabama records the most Bessies (7,540 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Alabama 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 Bessie
Nearby Names Like Bessie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bessie
Bess Girl
7,171 births
Besse Girl
671 births
Bessy Girl
#13578 334 births
Besan Girl
#11824 125 births
Bessye Girl
105 births
Compare Bessie side by side: Bessie vs Bess Bessie vs Besse Bessie vs Bessy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bessie
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. "Bessie: #9556 Girls' Name - 170,140 Births, Peak 1916." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bessie. 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 Bessie 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.