Popular Girl Names That Start With B Throughout History
This guide gathers 120 girl names starting with B, organized across four historical eras, from ancient origins to today's American favorites. Each name comes with its meaning, so you can browse for the sound, story, or era that fits.
Updated September 7, 2026
AI Summary
The letter B has given parents some of the most enduring girl names in history. Think ancient queens, Biblical heroines, and today's chart-topping favorites like Brooklyn and Bella. It's a letter that swings wide. Boadicea and Bertha carry real weight, while Belle and Bree are lighter on their feet.
This guide walks through B names across four eras: ancient origins, medieval and Renaissance Europe, the Victorian period, and modern-day America. Each name is paired with a real meaning, so whether you're drawn to something classic or fresh and current, you'll find a B name that fits.
Ancient Origins (c. 800 BCE-500 CE)
The Bible, Greek mythology, and Roman family records account for most of the earliest B names, names that have quietly outlasted the empires they came from.
Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
Balbina | Latin, "stammering" |
Balthilda | Frankish, "bold in battle" |
Basima | Arabic, "smiling" |
Basina | Frankish queen, mother of Clovis I |
Basmath | Biblical, "fragrant" |
Bassiana | Roman family name, borne by the mother of two emperors |
Bathsheba | Biblical, "daughter of the oath" |
Beata | Latin, "blessed" |
Beatrix | Latin, "she who brings happiness" |
Belisama | Celtic goddess of fire and craft |
Belkis | Arabic name for the Queen of Sheba |
Bellona | Roman goddess of war |
Berenice | Greek, "bearer of victory" |
Berenike | Name of several Hellenistic queens of Egypt |
Bernice | Biblical, sister of Herod Agrippa II |
Bertha | Old Germanic, "bright" |
Bibiana | Latin, early Christian saint |
Bilhah | Biblical handmaid to Rachel |
Bilqis | Quranic name for the Queen of Sheba |
Bithiah | Biblical, Pharaoh's daughter |
Blaesilla | Roman noblewoman, 4th century |
Blandina | Early Christian martyr of Lyon |
Boadicea | Warrior queen who led a revolt against Rome |
Bona Dea | Roman goddess of fertility |
Brigantia | Celtic goddess of victory |
Briseis | Figure from Homer's Iliad |
Brunhild | Germanic legend, the shield-maiden |
Brynhildr | Norse heroine of the Volsunga Saga |
Bryony | From the ancient Greek plant name bryonia |
Medieval and Renaissance (500-1600)
Many Medieval and Renaissance B names trace back to a specific saint or noblewoman rather than a general word meaning. This is why you'll see fewer literal translations in this list than in the others.
Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
Barbara | Greek, "foreign woman" |
Bartholomea | Feminine form of Bartholomew |
Basilia | Medieval saint name |
Bastiana | Diminutive of Sebastiana |
Beatrice | Made famous by Dante as "bringer of joy" |
Bega | Irish saint, 7th century |
Benedetta | Italian, "blessed" |
Benedicta | Feminine form of Benedict |
Benigna | Latin, "kind, gentle" |
Benvenuta | Italian, "welcome" |
Berta | Short form of Bertha, "bright" |
Bertille | French saint, 7th century abbess |
Bertrade | Bertrada of Laon, mother of Charlemagne |
Bianca | Italian, "white" |
Birgitta | Swedish saint, 14th century |
Blanca | Spanish form of Blanche |
Blanche | French, "white" |
Blazena | Czech, "blessed" |
Bodil | Danish, medieval saint name |
Bona | Name of Bona of Savoy and Bona Sforza, Renaissance duchesses |
Branca | Portuguese, "white" |
Brangwine | Handmaiden in the legend of Tristan and Iseult |
Brigida | Italian and Spanish form of Bridget |
Brita | Swedish form of Bridget |
Bruna | Medieval Italian and Germanic, "brown" |
Brunilda | Spanish form of Brunhild |
Victorian and Early Modern (1800s-early 1900s)
By the 1800s, literature had taken over from religion as the main source of new B names. Dante's Divine Comedy alone helped revive Beatrice.
Here's how the letter looked during this period:
Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
Babette | French diminutive of Barbara |
Babs | Nickname for Barbara |
Beatrice | Revived through Dante's popularity in Victorian literature |
Belinda | Popularized by Alexander Pope's poem |
Bella | Common short form of Isabella |
Bellatrix | Latin, "female warrior" |
Belva | Made notable by Belva Lockwood, the first woman to run for U.S. president |
Benedicte | French form of Benedicta |
Benita | Spanish and Portuguese, "blessed" |
Bernadette | French, after Saint Bernadette of Lourdes |
Bernadine | Feminine form of Bernard |
Bertha | One of the most common names of the 1800s |
Beryl | Victorian gemstone name |
Bess | Nickname for Elizabeth |
Betsey | Nickname for Elizabeth |
Bettie | Nickname for Elizabeth |
Bettina | Italian diminutive of Elizabeth |
Biddy | Common Irish nickname for Bridget |
Birdie | Started as an affectionate nickname before becoming its own name |
Blandine | French form of Blandina |
Bliss | Victorian virtue name |
Blythe | Old English, "happy, carefree" |
Bonnie | Scottish, "pretty" |
Bridget | Rose in popularity with Irish immigration to the U.S. |
Britannia | Patriotic personification name |
Bronislava | Slavic name meaning "glorious protector" |
Bronwen | Welsh, "white breast" |
B Names That Started as Nicknames
Look closely at the Victorian list above, and you'll notice something. Several B names you might assume are standalone weren't originally meant to stand alone at all. Bella and Bess both began as pet names. Betsey and Bettie followed the same path, affectionate short forms of Elizabeth that eventually became full names in their own right.
This matters if you're choosing a B name today. Some options come with a "built-in" longer version, which gives you flexibility down the road. A daughter named Isabella can go by Bella day to day and have a more formal name for later occasions. A daughter named Elizabeth has Bess, Betsy, and a few other nicknames available, including a couple of B options. If you like the sound of a B nickname but want a longer name on the birth certificate, this era's list is a good place to start.
» For more general tips on narrowing things down, our guide to choosing a baby name walks through the basics.
Modern Favorites (20th-21st Century)
Today, B names blend tradition, trend, and celebrity influence. Here's where the letter stands now:
Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
Bailee | Alternate spelling of Bailey |
Bailey | Originally an English surname meaning "bailiff" |
Bambi | Popularized by the Disney film |
Bay | Nature name, simple and short |
Baylee | Trend spelling of Bailey |
Baylor | Modern surname-style choice |
Belen | Spanish, "Bethlehem" |
Bella | Boosted by the Twilight series |
Bellamy | French surname, "beautiful friend" |
Belle | French, "beautiful" |
Bentley | English surname turned first name |
Bexley | London place name now used as a given name |
Beyonce | Celebrity-inspired name |
Bindi | Popularized by Bindi Irwin |
Blair | Scottish surname, sleek and unisex |
Blakely | Surname-style modern name |
Blessing | Virtue name used across many cultures |
Bloom | Modern word name |
Bree | Short and breezy modern name |
Modern Favorites List Continued…
Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
Breeze | Nature word name |
Bria | Short form of Brianna |
Briana | Feminine form of Brian |
Brianna | Peaked in popularity in the 1990s and 2000s |
Briar | Nature name, from the thorny plant |
Briar-Rose | Alternate name for Sleeping Beauty |
Brielle | Modern, phonetically appealing |
Brighton | English place name |
Brinleigh | Alternate spelling of Brinley |
Brinley | Popular modern surname-style name |
Briseis | Revived interest tied to recent retellings of the Iliad |
Brixton | London place name |
Bronte | After the Brontë literary sisters |
Brooklyn | One of the most popular U.S. place names turned first names |
Brooklynn | Common variant spelling of Brooklyn |
Brylee | Modern trend name |
Bryn | Welsh, "hill" |
Brynlee | One of the more popular modern trend names in the U.S. |
Brynna | Modern variant, likely blending Bryn and Anna |
If nothing here quite fits, the next letter in this series has just as much range to offer. Check out these popular girl names with C throughout history.
From Bathsheba to Bella
Four eras, one letter, and B never really settles into a single mood. It can sound ancient and weighty or light and modern depending on which name you land on, and that range is exactly what makes it worth digging through history for. A few names even show up more than once across the centuries, proof that a good B name tends to get rediscovered rather than left behind.
Naming a daughter is usually just one item on a longer list, and keeping an eye on her once she's home is another. A non-Wi-Fi video monitor like the Babysense Prisma is one way to do that without adding an app or a subscription to the pile of things you're already managing. It has a built-in night light and sound machine, so it can double as part of the bedtime routine once your daughter arrives.
FAQs
What are the oldest recorded girl names starting with B?
Some of the oldest B names come straight from the Bible and Greek antiquity, including Bathsheba, Bilhah, and Berenice. These names have been in continuous use for thousands of years, often passed down through religious and royal lineages.
What are some of the most popular B names for girls today?
Right now, soft yet classic names like Bella, Brooklyn, Brielle, and Bailey are topping the charts for girls. If you're looking for something with a bit more vintage flair, timeless choices like Beatrice, Blair, and Bonnie have also been making a huge comeback.
Are there any royal or historical figures with B names?
Yes. Berenice was the name of several Hellenistic queens of Egypt, and Boadicea led a rebellion against Roman rule as queen of the Iceni in Britain. Bertha and Beatrice also appear repeatedly among European nobility across several centuries.
What do B names commonly mean?
B names don't share one single meaning, but a few themes repeat often: "white" or "fair" (Blanche, Bianca), "blessed" (Beata, Benedicta), and references to beauty (Bella, Belle). Others, like Bathsheba and Bilhah, come from specific Biblical stories rather than a literal translation.
Is Bailey a boy's name or a girl's name?
Bailey started as a boy's name, from an English occupational surname, but has become increasingly popular for girls over the past few decades. Today it's used as a gender-neutral name in the U.S. more often than as an exclusively male one.
