girls' name ★ peaked 2010

Bella

Meaning en (English) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #136 Trend ↓ Falling 41%

From Lua error in Module:etymology/templates at line 71: Language 'en (English)' does not match the L2 header (Translingual).: a diminutive of Isabella and Arabella, by…

Rank 2025
#136
among girls · ↓27 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,129
named Bella · -14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 755
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2010
5,144 babies
All-time total
83,766
#429 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Bella popularity over time

83,766 babies have been named Bella since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 242 – 242 24 – #325
1890s 431 – 431 43 +78% #365
1900s 555 – 555 56 +29% #389
1910s 1,576 – 1,576 158 +184% #428
1920s 1,349 – 1,349 135 -14% #506
1930s 363 – 363 36 -73% #909
1940s 235 – 235 24 -35% #1,414
1950s 305 – 305 31 +30% #1,493
1960s 227 – 227 23 -26% #1,997
1970s 236 – 236 24 +4% #2,358
1980s 195 – 195 20 -17% #3,563
1990s 854 – 854 85 +338% #1,085
2000s 16,828 10 16,838 1,684 +1872% #58
2010s 43,218 35 43,253 4,325 +157% #48
2020s (to 2025) 17,107 – 17,107 2,851 -34% #63

Where Bella is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 1,947 1.21 #155
2027 1,805 1.12 #170
2028 1,692 1.05 #182
2029 1,601 1.00 #196
2030 1,528 0.95 #200

Where Bella is most popular

Girls named Bella per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.66 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Bella born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Hawaii 49 4.27 +158%
Nevada 171 3.68 +122%
New Mexico 76 3.13 +88%
Delaware 35 3.09 +86%
Florida 1,216 2.84 +71%
Rhode Island 35 2.80 +69%
New Jersey 475 2.63 +59%
Maine 39 2.52 +52%
Connecticut 145 2.49 +50%
Mississippi 116 2.48 +49%
California 2,071 2.46 +49%
Massachusetts 296 2.45 +48%
Maryland 243 2.29 +38%
District of Columbia 27 2.28 +37%
New York 886 2.24 +35%
South Carolina 189 2.10 +27%
West Virginia 55 2.10 +27%
Louisiana 181 2.07 +25%
Arizona 288 2.05 +24%
Oklahoma 150 2.04 +23%
Georgia 446 1.96 +18%
North Carolina 438 1.92 +16%
Illinois 436 1.90 +15%
Alabama 175 1.86 +12%
Washington 265 1.83 +11%
Virginia 309 1.81 +9%
Tennessee 287 1.81 +9%
Texas 1,445 1.80 +8%
Utah 149 1.79 +8%
Pennsylvania 420 1.78 +7%
Idaho 58 1.73 ≈ national
New Hampshire 32 1.73 ≈ national
Kentucky 148 1.73 ≈ national
Arkansas 90 1.70 ≈ national
Indiana 233 1.66 ≈ national
Oregon 108 1.66 ≈ national
Colorado 185 1.66 ≈ national
Iowa 96 1.64 ≈ national
Michigan 297 1.63 ≈ national
Missouri 189 1.57 -5%
Minnesota 162 1.50 -10%
Nebraska 53 1.47 -11%
Ohio 345 1.45 -12%
Wisconsin 147 1.43 -14%
Kansas 81 1.40 -15%
South Dakota 20 1.40 -16%
Alaska 12 1.39 -16%
Vermont 5 1.03 -38%
Montana 8 0.591 -64%
North Dakota 6 0.456 -72%
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Bella

Bella is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #136 in 2025 with 2,129 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 83,766 American babies have been named Bella. Its peak came in 2010, when 5,144 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bella stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bella?

The median living Bella is about 11 years old; half are between 6 and 15. An estimated 79 thousand people named Bella are alive in the United States today.

median 11 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bella year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 2,129 #136 – –
2024 2,479 #109 – –
2023 2,566 #104 – –
2022 2,915 #85 – –
2021 3,369 #73 – –
2020 3,649 #63 – –
2019 4,399 #50 5 #12,387
2018 4,578 #48 – –
2017 4,667 #50 6 #10,945
2016 3,685 #78 – –
2015 3,814 #74 – –
2014 4,107 #70 7 #9,757
2013 4,190 #58 – –
2012 4,362 #54 – –
2011 4,280 #60 9 #8,154
2010 5,136 #48 8 #8,898
2009 4,540 #58 5 #12,703
2008 2,788 #122 5 #12,758
2007 2,260 #157 – –
2006 1,959 #181 – –
2005 1,664 #208 – –
2004 1,240 #260 – –
2003 974 #317 – –
2002 683 #426 – –
2001 413 #609 – –
2000 307 #749 – –
1995 107 #1,483 – –
1990 28 #3,723 – –
1985 23 #3,631 – –
1980 17 #4,341 – –
1975 29 #2,618 – –
1970 32 #2,358 – –
1965 34 #1,997 – –
1960 30 #2,104 – –
1955 41 #1,599 – –
1950 21 #2,126 – –
1945 13 #2,476 – –
1940 19 #1,851 – –
1935 28 #1,382 – –
1930 64 #909 – –
1925 133 #635 – –
1920 188 #506 – –
1915 160 #485 – –
1910 73 #467 – –
1905 52 #473 – –
1900 73 #389 – –
1895 39 #465 – –
1890 42 #385 – –
1885 25 #414 – –
1880 13 #469 – –

Famous people named Bella

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Bella Hadid Bella Hadid American fashion model (born 1996) Contemporary
  2. 2 Bella Thorne Bella Thorne American actress and singer (born 1997) Contemporary
  3. 3 Bella Heathcote Bella Heathcote Australian actress (born 1987) Contemporary
  4. 4 Bella Abzug Bella Abzug American politician (1920–1998) Contemporary
  5. 5 Bella Darvi Bella Darvi Polish actress (1928–1971) Contemporary
  6. 6 Bella Akhmadulina Bella Akhmadulina Soviet-Russian poet, short story writer, and translator (1937-2010) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bella, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bella?

The median living Bella is about 11 years old. Half of all living Bellas are between 6 and 15 years old.

How many people named Bella are alive today?

An estimated 79 thousand people named Bella are alive in the United States, based on 83,766 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bella mean?

From Lua error in Module:etymology/templates at line 71: Language 'en (English)' does not match the L2 header (Translingual).: a diminutive of Isabella and Arabella, by folk etymology interpreted as bella (“beautiful”).

How popular is the name Bella in 2025?

Bella ranked #136 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,129 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bella?

83,766 babies have been named Bella in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bella most popular?

Bella peaked in 2010, when 5,144 newborns received the name.

Is Bella a boy or girl name?

Bella is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bella rising or falling?

Bella is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bella become more popular?

Bella is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,528 girls named Bella in 2030, which would rank around #200. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Bella?

Well-known people named Bella include Bella Hadid (model), Bella Thorne (actor), Bella Heathcote (actor).

Names like Bella

Names that sound and feel close to Bella: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bella with similar names → More names starting with B →