Bell
Torn between Bell and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
a spelling of Belle, a short form of Isabella and other names ending in belle, also linked to French belle, "beautiful"
How popular is Bell around the world?
In the United States, 43 babies were named Bell between 2020 and 2025.
Bell is on the official records of the United States.
United States
1 in 510,000
In the United States, 43 babies were named Bell between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Bell peaked in the 1890s and the 1900s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Argentina
last on record 2019
Bell is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Mexico City City
last on record 2021
Bell is not on the 2022 record for Mexico City, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Montevideo City
last on record 1955
Bell is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Not on 13 other recordsWhy
- Not on the record in Spain, Puerto Rico, England and Wales, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
- Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown.
- Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown.
- Not on the South Australia record for 1944 to 2017: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years.
- Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only).
- Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Bell
People given the name Bell in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1940 to 2019. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Bell deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Bell truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Bell fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Bell fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Bell to your family’s tree →