Bessie

Diminutive of Elizabeth, Hebrew

"pledged to God"

Bessie Origin and Meaning

The name Bessie is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "pledged to God".

After a century of association with horses and cows, this name just could be ready for revival by a fearless baby namer -- after all, it did happen to Jessie and Becky.

Bessie has been in use since the seventeenth century and is found as characters in Jane Eyre and in Sean O'Casey's play The Plough and the Stars. More recently, she was an animated automotive character in the movie Cars.

On the popularity lists until 1975, Bessie was a Top 25 name from 1880 to 1906, reaching Number 9 in 1889. Notable namesakes include the great blues singer Bessie Smith, and Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female aviator.

And if you want to go more refined, you could simplify to Bess.

Bessie Rank in US Top 1000

# 957 in the US

Popularity of the name Bessie

• 1750 Nameberry 2025

20 Names Similar to Bessie

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

• Bess
• Mamie
• Franny
• Joanie
• Francie
• Freddie
• Wilma
• Flo
• Margie
• Midge
• Betsy
• Trudy
• Gladys
• Fanny
• Shirley
• Bette
• Gretchen
• Paulette
• Pollyanna
• Thelma

Famous People Named Bessie

• Bessie Smith American jazz singer
• (Bessie) Wallis Warfield Simpson Duchess of Windsor, American socialite; wife of Britain's King Edward VIII
• Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton) American silent film actress
• Bessie Barriscale (born Elizabeth Barry Scale) American stage and silent film actress
• Bessie Coleman American aviatrix
• Elizabeth Margaret "Bessie" Braddock English MP for Liverpool
• Bessie Amelia Emery Head Botswanian writer
• Bessie Potter Vonnoh American sculptor
• Bessie Banks American soul singer
• Bessie Carter English actress
• (Bessie) Lillian Gordy Carter mother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter

The name Bessie in Pop Culture

• Bessie character in The Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton
• Bessie Busybody character from the TV show "Lazy Town"
• Bessie Mrs. Forrester's cow in Cranford
• Bessie Clavell character in "The Sims 3" computer game