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Belle

Heart
Short form of Isabelle or French
"beautiful"

Belle Origin and Meaning

The name Belle is a girl's name of French origin meaning "beautiful".

Belle has nothing but positive associations, from "belle of the ball" to "Southern belle" to the heroine of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As if this weren't enough good things, Belle is also one of the most familiar and usable names that mean beautiful. Though it has been overshadowed by the Twilight-influenced Bella and longer forms like Isabella and Annabella, Belle has its own Southern charm and would make a pretty choice as a first or middle name.

Belle was a Top 100 name in the 1880s, but left the list in 1934. It returned to the US Top 1000 for the first time in 80 years in 2016, only to drop off again in 2021. Its most famous bearer was the legendary Western outlaw, Belle Starr (born Myra); Belle Watling is a character in Gone With the Wind.

Read more about Belle and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.

# 977 in the US

Belle Rank in US Top 1000

# 452 on Nameberry

Belle Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Belle Popularity

20 Names Similar to Belle

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Famous People Named Belle

  • Belle Baker (born Bella Becker)American singer and actress
  • Belle BennettAmerican actress
  • Camilla Belle (Routh)American actress
  • Belle BrezingAmerican madam; possible inspiration for Belle Watling in "Gone with the Wind"
  • Belle Miriam Silvermanbirth name of Beverly Sills, American operatic soprano
  • Belle ChrystallEnglish actress
  • Belle ColeAmerican operatic contralto
  • Belle Kinney ScholzAmerican sculptor
  • Belle MitchellAmerican actress
  • Belle MoskowitzAmerican political adviser
  • Belle ReynoldsAmerican Civil War heroine
  • Belle Gunness (born Brynhild Paulsdatter)Norwegian,American serial killer
  • Belle Goldschlager BaranceanuAmerican painter
  • Belle Jennings BenchleyAmerican zoologist
  • Belle Baldwin (b. 2011)daughter of TV presenter Holly Willoughby and Dan Baldwin
  • Belle Elizabeth Piper (b. 2014)daughter of model/philanthropist Katie Piper
  • Belle Scarlett Holtby (b. 2014)daughter of ice hockey player Braden Holtby

Belle in Pop Culture

  • Bellemain character in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"
  • Belle Watlingcharacter in Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind"
  • Belle Moffatcharacter in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women"
  • Bellecharacter in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"
  • Belle Blackcharacter in American soap opera "Days of our Lives"
  • Belle Dinglecharacter on British soap "Emmerdale"
  • Belle Taylorcharacter on Australian soap opera "Home and Away"
  • Belle Fishercharacter in "A woman called Fancy" by Frank Yerby
  • Belle the Sleeping Carcharacter in musical "Starlight Express"
  • Bellecharacter in "Belle et Sébastien," children's novel by Cécile Aubry
  • Belleone of Snoopy's siblings from the comic strip Peanuts
  • Belle and SebastianScottish indie pop band
  • Wild BelleAmerican indie pop band
  • Belle Rain Watercharacter in "My Heart Is on the Ground" in the "Dear America" book series
  • Symbian Bellemobile operating system
  • Belle Frencha character on ABC's Once Upon a Time
  • Belle Donneralias of Yolanda Yewbeam, character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
  • Belle Rayburncharacter in Netflix's "Bloodline"
  • Sweetie Bellecharacter in "My Little Pony" series