Bess
#14,942 for girls in 2025, 5 births · Last seen for boys in 1894 at #1,074
Given to girls 99.9% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1887 · 155 births
- Debut · girls
- 46 births
- In top 100 · girls
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 7,171since 1880
Bess over time
Rank among girls' names. Bess has never cracked the top 100 here.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #14,942 | 5 | — | |
| 2024 | — | — | ||
| 2023 | — | — | ||
| 2022 | #13,592 | 6 | — | |
| 2021 | — | — | ||
| 2020 | #11,090 | 8 | — | |
| 2019 | #15,539 | 5 | — | |
| 2018 | #12,464 | 7 | — | |
| 2017 | — | — | ||
| 2016 | #14,331 | 6 | — | |
| 2015 | #14,482 | 6 | — | |
| 2014 | #11,931 | 8 | — | |
| 2013 | #13,150 | 7 | — | |
| 2012 | #14,962 | 6 | — | |
| 2011 | #13,347 | 7 | — | |
| 2010 | #13,448 | 7 | — | |
| 2009 | #12,429 | 8 | — | |
| 2008 | #13,832 | 7 | — | |
| 2007 | #12,676 | 8 | — | |
| 2006 | #15,152 | 6 | — | |
| 2005 | #6,528 | 18 | — | |
| 2004 | #16,099 | 5 | — | |
| 2003 | #8,505 | 12 | — | |
| 2002 | #7,444 | 14 | — | |
| 2001 | #9,351 | 10 | — | |
| 2000 | #9,874 | 9 | — | |
| 1999 | #8,223 | 11 | — | |
| 1998 | #10,122 | 8 | — | |
| 1997 | #6,483 | 14 | — | |
| 1996 | #6,392 | 14 | — | |
| 1995 | #7,514 | 11 | — | |
| 1994 | #7,604 | 11 | — | |
| 1993 | #6,264 | 14 | — | |
| 1992 | #5,718 | 16 | — | |
| 1991 | #6,976 | 12 | — | |
| 1990 | #5,549 | 16 | — | |
| 1989 | #4,522 | 20 | — | |
| 1988 | #3,393 | 28 | — | |
| 1987 | #3,169 | 29 | — | |
| 1986 | #3,135 | 29 | — | |
| 1985 | #3,246 | 27 | — | |
| 1984 | #2,470 | 38 | — | |
| 1983 | #3,065 | 27 | — | |
| 1982 | #3,017 | 29 | — | |
| 1981 | #2,488 | 38 | — | |
| 1980 | #3,069 | 28 | — | |
| 1979 | #3,236 | 25 | — | |
| 1978 | #2,572 | 33 | — | |
| 1977 | #3,002 | 26 | — | |
| 1976 | #3,188 | 22 | — | |
| 1975 | #5,161 | 11 | — | |
| 1974 | #4,227 | 14 | — | |
| 1973 | #3,233 | 20 | — | |
| 1972 | #3,894 | 15 | — | |
| 1971 | #3,508 | 18 | — | |
| 1970 | #3,311 | 19 | — | |
| 1969 | #3,012 | 20 | — | |
| 1968 | #5,147 | 8 | — | |
| 1967 | #3,340 | 15 | — | |
| 1966 | #2,839 | 19 | — | |
| 1965 | #2,833 | 19 | — | |
| 1964 | #2,915 | 19 | — | |
| 1963 | #2,364 | 26 | — | |
| 1962 | #1,989 | 34 | — | |
| 1961 | #2,036 | 33 | — | |
| 1960 | #2,307 | 26 | — | |
| 1959 | #2,234 | 26 | — | |
| 1958 | #1,872 | 34 | — | |
| 1957 | #2,067 | 28 | — | |
| 1956 | #2,058 | 28 | — | |
| 1955 | #2,280 | 23 | — | |
| 1954 | #1,769 | 34 | — | |
| 1953 | #2,173 | 23 | — | |
| 1952 | #1,820 | 30 | — | |
| 1951 | #2,577 | 16 | — | |
| 1950 | #2,652 | 15 | — | |
| 1949 | #2,212 | 20 | — | |
| 1948 | #1,576 | 35 | — | |
| 1947 | #2,146 | 21 | — | |
| 1946 | #1,860 | 24 | — | |
| 1945 | #1,825 | 21 | — | |
| 1944 | #1,661 | 25 | — | |
| 1943 | #1,467 | 32 | — | |
| 1942 | #1,438 | 32 | — | |
| 1941 | #1,384 | 31 | — | |
| 1940 | #1,404 | 29 | — | |
| 1939 | #1,424 | 27 | — | |
| 1938 | #1,596 | 23 | — | |
| 1937 | #1,845 | 18 | — | |
| 1936 | #1,691 | 20 | — | |
| 1935 | #1,917 | 17 | — | |
| 1934 | #1,440 | 26 | — | |
| 1933 | #1,364 | 28 | — | |
| 1932 | #1,382 | 29 | — | |
| 1931 | #1,421 | 27 | — | |
| 1930 | #1,251 | 36 | — | |
| 1929 | #1,306 | 33 | — | |
| 1928 | #1,338 | 33 | — | |
| 1927 | #1,000 | 58 | — | |
| 1926 | #1,004 | 55 | — | |
| 1925 | #932 | 64 | — | |
| 1924 | #829 | 81 | — | |
| 1923 | #811 | 81 | — | |
| 1922 | #852 | 74 | — | |
| 1921 | #797 | 84 | — | |
| 1920 | #797 | 82 | — | |
| 1919 | #704 | 99 | — | |
| 1918 | #711 | 103 | — | |
| 1917 | #670 | 103 | — | |
| 1916 | #586 | 131 | — | |
| 1915 | #589 | 122 | — | |
| 1914 | #590 | 93 | — | |
| 1913 | #457 | 119 | — | |
| 1912 | #414 | 125 | — | |
| 1911 | #421 | 93 | — | |
| 1910 | #421 | 88 | — | |
| 1909 | #381 | 95 | — | |
| 1908 | #375 | 91 | — | |
| 1907 | #343 | 103 | — | |
| 1906 | #332 | 101 | — | |
| 1905 | #362 | 87 | — | |
| 1904 | #336 | 96 | — | |
| 1903 | #293 | 112 | — | |
| 1902 | #309 | 104 | — | |
| 1901 | #289 | 107 | — | |
| 1900 | #280 | 134 | — | |
| 1899 | #255 | 123 | — | |
| 1898 | #239 | 151 | — | |
| 1897 | #243 | 137 | — | |
| 1896 | #224 | 151 | — | |
| 1895 | #224 | 150 | — | |
| 1894 | #197 | 177 | #1,074 | 5 |
| 1893 | #197 | 169 | — | |
| 1892 | #190 | 177 | — | |
| 1891 | #199 | 137 | — | |
| 1890 | #190 | 154 | — | |
| 1889 | #164 | 182 | — | |
| 1888 | #176 | 164 | — | |
| 1887 | #157 | 155 | — | |
| 1886 | #180 | 128 | — | |
| 1885 | #191 | 97 | — | |
| 1884 | #170 | 105 | — | |
| 1883 | #170 | 94 | — | |
| 1882 | #180 | 76 | — | |
| 1881 | #208 | 52 | — | |
| 1880 | #227 | 46 | — | |
In the first year the SSA published name data, Bess was already there! It came in at #227, and was given to 46 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 2017, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.
See more about Bess
- 3,852 spots since 2020 (#11,090 → #14,942)
- 460 spots since 2015 (#14,482 → #14,942)
- Biggest jump: 41 spots in 1923 (#852 → #811)
- Biggest drop: 338 spots in 1928 (#1,000 → #1,338)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1887 at #157 (155 births)
- Births halved by 1922, 35 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 47 yrs · run 1880–1925
- Highest: 1 in 942 girls born in 1887 were named Bess (0.11%)
- Latest: 1 in 321,453 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
- 21.3% of all girls named Bess (1,526) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,099 | #157 (1887) | #182 |
| 1890s | 1,526 | #190 (1892) | #216 |
| 1900s | 1,030 | #280 (1900) | #330 |
| 1910s | 1,076 | #414 (1912) | #556 |
| 1920s | 645 | #797 (1921) | #967 |
| 1930s | 251 | #1,251 (1930) | #1,533 |
| 1940s | 270 | #1,384 (1941) | #1,697 |
| 1950s | 257 | #1,769 (1954) | #2,150 |
| 1960s | 219 | #1,989 (1962) | #2,878 |
| 1970s | 203 | #2,572 (1978) | #3,533 |
| 1980s | 293 | #2,470 (1984) | #3,157 |
| 1990s | 127 | #5,549 (1990) | #7,085 |
| 2000s | 97 | #6,528 (2005) | #11,189 |
| 2010s | 59 | #11,931 (2014) | #13,739 |
| 2020s | 19 | #11,090 (2020) | #13,208 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Bess in 1894
Top girls' names in 1894
Top boys' names in 1894
More about 1894
girls
222,922 girls got a published name in 1894; 1 in 1,259 of them was named Bess, which outranked 88.4% of the 1,702 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
- #194Leah182
- #195Geneva180
- #196Bertie178
- #197Bess177
- #197Lora177
- #197Virgie177
- #200Elva176
- #201Adeline174
- #201Norma174
Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
- ↓ 691Macy#794 → #1,485
- ↓ 659Fredericka#826 → #1,485
- ↓ 586Dee#767 → #1,353
- ↓ 584Katharyn#901 → #1,485
- ↓ 584Leva#901 → #1,485
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
115,768 boys got a published name in 1894; 1 in 23,154 of them was named Bess, which outranked 13.3% of the 1,239 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 35.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Tied with 165 names at #1,074; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.