Bess

Diminutive of Elizabeth
"pledged to God"

Bess Origin and Meaning

The name Bess is a girl's name meaning "pledged to God".

Although she declared her independence as far back as the reign of Elizabeth I--Good Queen Bess, Bess now sounds less passé than Beth or Betsy.

# 1000 in the US

Bess Rank in US Top 1000

Bess Popularity

20 Names Similar to Bess

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Bess.

Famous People Named Bess

  • Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Truman
    First Lady of the U.S. as wife of President Harry Truman
  • Bess Myerson
    Miss America 1945
  • Elizabeth "Bess" Throckmorton
    lady,in,waiting of Queen Elizabeth I; wife to Sir Walter Raleigh
  • Wilhelmina Beatrice "Bess" (Rahner) Houdini
    wife of escape artist Harry Houdini
  • Elizabeth "Bess" of Hardwick
    Countess of Shrewsbury, Elizabethan English noblewoman
  • Elizabeth Christiana "Bess" (Hervey) Cavendish
    Duchess of Devonshire, early English woman novelist
  • Good Queen Bess
    one of Queen Elizabeth I's many titles
  • Jamison Bess Belushi
    daughter of actor Jim Belushi

Bess in Pop Culture

  • Bess McNeill
    character in film "Breaking the Waves"
  • Bess Marvin
    character in the Nancy Drew series
  • Bess
    character in opera "Porgy and Bess"
  • Bess
    alternate personality of Jessica Buchanan on American soap "One Life to Live"
  • Bess
    character in Erin Hunter's "Warriors" book series
  • Bess
    character in the movie "Crush"
  • Bess Laurence
    daughter of Amy in "Little Men"
  • Bess
    "the landlord's black,eyed daughter," character in the poem "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes and song by Loreena McKennit

Bess in Nameberry Blog Posts