Girl name · Hebrew
Bella
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: short form of Isabella; also Italian for beautifulBella is a girl's name that is of Hebrew origin: short form of Isabella; also Italian for beautiful. It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Short form of Isabella; also Italian for beautiful
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #136 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Bella
As a girl's name, Bella is of Hebrew origin: short form of Isabella; also Italian for beautiful. It is used in English.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Bella on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Bella on 5 lists.
“Italian for beautiful, and a longtime favorite for girl cats”
From Cat names, popular cat names
“Italian for beautiful, and short for Isabella. No. 3 in U.S. News 2026”
From Female cat names, most popular girl cat names
“Italian for beautiful, and a perennial favorite”
From Girl dog names, popular girl dog names
“A sweet classic for a gentle spider”
From Spider names, good spider names
“Italian for beautiful, and a top dog name”
From Taco Bell chihuahua name, girl chihuahua names
How popular is Bella?
- US rank in 2025
- #136
- 2,129 babies, 1,325 per million girls
- Best rank
- #48 in 2010
- 5,136 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 83,721
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 184 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 194 per million |
| 1900s | 190 per million |
| 1910s | 193 per million |
| 1920s | 113 per million |
| 1930s | 34 per million |
| 1940s | 16 per million |
| 1950s | 16 per million |
| 1960s | 12 per million |
| 1970s | 15 per million |
| 1980s | 11 per million |
| 1990s | 47 per million |
| 2000s | 911 per million |
| 2010s | 2,469 per million |
| 2020s | 1,758 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #78 | #50 | #48 | #50 | #63 | #73 | #85 | #104 | #109 | #136 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Bella
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- BelleBeautiful (French, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
- BellamyBeautiful friend (Old French, unisex)
- BeataBlessed, happy (Latin, girl)
- BelénHouse of bread (Hebrew, girl)
- BeulahMarried (Hebrew, girl)
- BeyleWhite (Yiddish, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- LiamShort for William, will helmet (Germanic, boy)
- MilanGracious, dear; a short form of Slavic Mil- names (Slavic, unisex)
- LiaItalian, Portuguese and Greek form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- EnzoItalian name, from Heinz, a form of Henry; popular in France (Germanic, boy)
- AstridDivinely beautiful (Old Norse, girl)
- BeauHandsome, beautiful (French, boy)
- CalliopeBeautiful voice (Greek, girl)
- CaraFriend in Irish; beloved in Italian (Irish and Italian, girl)
- EllaShort form of names such as Elisabeth and Eleonore (Germanic, girl)
Middle names for Bella
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Hebrew
- AnnaFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- EvaLiving, life (Hebrew, girl)
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- SarahPrincess, noblewoman (Hebrew, girl)
- LisaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- AnneFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- DanielaGod is my judge (Hebrew, girl)
- ElsaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- HannahFavor, grace (Hebrew, girl)
- IsabellaGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
Bella: common questions
What does the name Bella mean?
Bella is of Hebrew origin: short form of Isabella; also Italian for beautiful. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Bella a boy or girl name?
Bella is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Bella come from?
Bella is of Hebrew origin: short form of Isabella; also Italian for beautiful. Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Bella?
Bella ranked #136 in the US in 2025, with 2,129 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Bella?
Names spelled like Bella include Belle, Berta, Bellamy, Beata and Belén.
What middle names go with Bella?
Middle names that flow well with Bella include Adeline, Elise, Grace, Isabel and Margaret. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.