Bella: Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, & Inspiration

Updated February 8, 2024

Table of contents

Girl name origins & meanings

Hebrew : Gift of God's favor
Spanish : Beautiful

What does Bella mean and stand for?

The name Bella is of Italian origin and means "beautiful". Bella is similar to "beautiful" in Spanish, French, Latin, Portuguese, and Greek, as well. It is derived from the name Isabella.

Syllables: 2

Girl name variations

How Popular Is The Name Bella

Family name origins & meanings

Italian : from the medieval female personal name Bella, meaning ‘beautiful’, ‘lovely’.
Italian : possibly a habitational name from Basilicata Bella, in Potenza, probably so named with Latin labellum ‘little basin’.
Greek : reduced form of Bellas.

Famous people who gave their babies this name

Eddie Murphy

Keenan-Ivory Wayans

Popularity

According to Social Security Administration data, Bella has been consistently popular, remaining in the top 50 since 2017, which is quite the jump from 749 in 2000. It's becoming a popular standalone name rather than just a nickname for Isabella.

However, it is the 37th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.

According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Isabella was at its peak popularity in June 2019.

Bella was thought to be an older name until it was attached to Bella Swan in Twilight and former-Disney star, Bella Thorne. Before its Twilight days, Bella was the character in Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend. Mark Ruffalo, Billy Bob Thornton, David Boreanaz and Eddie Murphy are all fathers of a Bella.