Fun Facts About the Name Bela
- More than 1 thousand babies named Bela: U.S. records list 1,294 babies given the name Bela from 1880 through 2025. Even 485 boys received the name Bela - about 1 boy for every 2 girls.
What Does the Name Bela Mean?
Bela is a given name from several separate traditions, so it does not have one single meaning. The feminine name Běla of Czech and Slovak comes from the Slavic adjective for "white" (bílý in Czech, bielý in Slovak), and the same word, bela, "white," serves as a female name in Serbian and Croatian.
The masculine Hungarian name Béla - usually the form meant when Bela is written without accents - has an uncertain origin. A Turkic, possibly Bulgar-Turkic, source has long been proposed, and a link to a Slavic root meaning "white" has also been suggested; no single derivation is agreed on, so the meaning is best described as uncertain.
The biblical Bela is a Hebrew name used for an Edomite king and for a son of Benjamin. It is commonly connected with the Hebrew root bālaʿ, "to swallow" or "devour," which suggests a sense such as "swallowing" or "destruction," but this is a proposal rather than a settled meaning.
In South Asia, Bela is a feminine name, usually glossed as "jasmine" after the flower. Though it looks like Bella, the two are normally separate names: Bella is Italian and Spanish for "beautiful," or a short form of Isabella.
Bela Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name Bela appears in the Hebrew Bible as the name of Bela son of Beor, an Edomite king (Genesis 36), and as the name of a son of Benjamin (Genesis 46 and 1 Chronicles). A town named Bela, later identified with Zoar, is also mentioned in the text. Through the Bible the name became familiar to Jewish and Christian readers, and English Bibles render it as Bela.
The Hungarian name Béla is tied above all to the kings of the Árpád dynasty: Béla I ruled in the eleventh century, and later kings of the name include Béla IV in the thirteenth century. The name stayed in use in Hungary after the Middle Ages. Two well-known modern bearers are the composer Béla Bartók and the actor Béla Lugosi, whose names are often written Bela in English, with the Hungarian accent on the e dropped.
In Czech and Slovak, Běla grew out of the everyday word for "white" as a feminine given name, alongside the related European names Blanche and Bianca. It is a separate name from the Hungarian Béla, which is masculine despite the similar spelling.
Bela is also used as a feminine name in parts of South Asia, where it is generally connected with the jasmine flower. In English the unaccented spelling Bela can stand for any of these traditions, and which one is meant usually becomes clear from the person's background or from context.
How Popular is the Name Bela?
Bela has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2010. Its best rank was #2,077 in 1915.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,749 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2024 | #4,561 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 2023 | #3,991 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 2022 | #4,602 | 30 | 0.0018% |
| 2021 | #4,424 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 2020 | #6,114 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #4,928 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2018 | #7,155 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #5,856 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #5,302 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2015 | #7,333 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #3,933 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2013 | #4,919 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2012 | #3,793 | 41 | 0.0023% |
| 2011 | #4,263 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2010 | #3,581 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 2009 | #4,821 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2008 | #3,720 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 2007 | #4,390 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2006 | #4,274 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2005 | #4,977 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2004 | #5,398 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2003 | #5,613 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #7,098 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #6,662 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2000 | #6,530 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #8,881 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #8,072 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #7,823 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #13,783 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #13,674 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #10,992 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #9,108 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #8,890 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #7,511 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1924 | #4,038 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1923 | #5,044 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1921 | #4,524 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #5,062 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1913 | #3,239 | 5 | 0.0008% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #9,074 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #12,387 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #10,943 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #10,904 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #9,689 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #10,868 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #11,220 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #7,151 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #12,246 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #6,262 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #5,845 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #8,757 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #6,586 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #10,745 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #6,904 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #9,782 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #7,895 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #8,828 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #7,511 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #8,017 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1985 | #5,196 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,335 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #4,539 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #6,139 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #5,287 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #3,736 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #5,059 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #3,090 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #2,790 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #3,565 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #2,634 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1964 | #2,874 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #2,686 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #2,290 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1961 | #2,723 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1960 | #2,890 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #2,676 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1958 | #2,380 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1957 | #4,030 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1955 | #3,222 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #3,458 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,120 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #2,890 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1946 | #3,202 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #3,252 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1934 | #3,713 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #3,824 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #4,007 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #3,388 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1927 | #3,176 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1926 | #3,414 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1925 | #2,448 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1923 | #3,502 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1922 | #2,643 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1921 | #3,908 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #4,350 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #3,427 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1918 | #2,171 | 14 | 0.0014% |
| 1917 | #2,751 | 9 | 0.0010% |
| 1916 | #2,162 | 13 | 0.0015% |
| 1915 | #2,077 | 13 | 0.0015% |
| 1914 | #2,674 | 7 | 0.0011% |
| 1912 | #2,577 | 5 | 0.0012% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Bela Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Bela's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bela's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.