Bessie

Attested across 14 languages in the etymology graph.

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Bessie, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Effy
• Libby
• Liz
• Agnes
• Lizzie
• Lilibet
• Liza
• Effie
• Dottie
• Ethel
• Elsie
• Arlene

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Bessie is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, France, Chile, Argentina

  Languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese

  Also written Bessié, Bessiè, Béssié, Bessië

• Russian given name15 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Russia, Nigeria, United Kingdom

  Languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian

  Also written Bassey, Бесси, Bessey, Bessy, Bessi

51 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Bessie is also recorded in 3 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In French, Diminutif anglais d'Elizabeth; fêtée le 17 novembre.

  as a name·Dictionnaire généalogique des prénoms

• In Dutch, alternative form of besje

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Afrikaans, berry

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• Bessie Potter Vonnohb. 1872USAmerican sculptor (1872–1955)
• Bessie Thomashefskyb. 1873USUkrainian-American actress and comedian (1873–1962)
• Bessie Pease Gutmannb. 1876USartist and illustrator (1876-1960)
• Bessie Colemanb. 1892USAmerican aviator (1892–1926)
• Bessie Smithb. 1894USAmerican blues singer (1892–1937)
• Wallis Simpsonb. 1896USnot in their usual nameAmerican socialite and wife of the Duke of Windsor (1896-1986)
• Bessie Loveb. 1898USAmerican actress (1898–1986)
• Lillian Gordy Carterb. 1898USnot in their usual namemother of U.S. president Jimmy Carter
• Bessie Schonbergb. 1906DEGerman dancer, choreographer and teacher (1906-1997)
• Bessie Headb. 1937ZASouth African born Botswanan writer and teacher (1937–1986)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

What does the name Bessie mean, and where does it come from?

A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth, also used as a formal female given name. Recorded by kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations).

What are other forms of the name Bessie?

In the etymology graph, Lisa, Isabel and Betty are forms of the same name in other languages; Lillia is a recorded short or pet form; it is recorded as a short form of Elizabeth and Elsabeth.

Is Bessie a male or female name?

Bessie is a female name. National registers that list it by sex list it as female: United States (Census Bureau, 2020).

How do you pronounce Bessie?

A machine transcription gives /bɛsi/ (IPA) for English.

In which country does Bessie have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 21 thousand people named Bessie, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled bessie.

How common is the name Bessie?

In the United States, the national register counted 20,905 people named Bessie in 2020, about 1 in 16 thousand residents.

How common is Bessie compared with other names?

In the United States, Bessie is the 684th most common given name of 2,815,431 given names recorded there.