How popular is the baby name Bea in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Bea.

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Popularity of the baby name Bea


Posts that mention the name Bea

Biggest changes in girl name usage (England, 2013)

I’ve got a post on the top names in England and Wales scheduled for Monday, but until then here are a couple of “biggest changes” analyses. We’ll do the girl names today and the boy names tomorrow.

The tables below include two versions of each list. On the left are the top raw-number differences, taking all names into account. On the right are the top ranking differences, taking only the top 1,000 names (roughly) into account.

Biggest Increases in Popularity

Raw Numbers (all names)Rankings (top 1,000)
  1. Sienna, +586 babies
  2. Scarlett, +395
  3. Elsie, +293
  4. Sofia, +274
  5. Thea, +241
  6. Ivy, +234
  7. Poppy, +219
  8. Evelyn, +193
  9. Willow, +182
  10. Alice, +172
  1. Reeva, +4951 spots
  2. Esmay, +844
  3. Bea, +761
  4. Khaleesi, +711
  5. Neriah, +703
  6. Keeva, +690
  7. Siyana, +650
  8. Milan, +643
  9. Isla-Mae, +574
  10. Dahlia, +566

Eleanor “Elea” Nickerson of British Baby Names mentioned the rise of Reeva yesterday on Facebook, attributing it to Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend Oscar Pistorius allegedly murdered. That sounds like a good explanation to me. In fact, the murder early last year (and the ongoing news coverage) might explain why Oscar itself saw such a big increase in 2013.

Can you think of explanations for any of the other names? (Well, besides Khaleesi. I think we all know where that one comes from at this point.)

Biggest Decreases in Popularity

Raw Numbers (all names)Rankings (top 1,000)
  1. Amelia, -1491 babies
  2. Lily, -919
  3. Jessica, -658
  4. Mia, -531
  5. Evie, -513
  6. Sophie, -483
  7. Lola, -436
  8. Maisie, -393
  9. Holly, -391
  10. Grace, -389
  1. Gemma, -402 spots
  2. Lilly-Mai, -364
  3. Krystal, -360
  4. Star, -320
  5. Sian, -297
  6. Tayla, -286
  7. Bo, -271
  8. Veronica, -256
  9. Zaina, -246
  10. Tahlia, -240

Top Debut Name

Everly.

Fewer than 3 baby girls got the name in 2012, but 21 baby girls were named Everly in 2013. Everley, Everleigh and Everlyn have been on the list before, but never Everly. (I only have the full England and Wales baby name lists going back to 2007, though.)

Here are the U.S. girl names that changed the most in popularity in 2013, if you’d like to compare.

Source: Baby Names, England and Wales, 2013 – ONS

2 Typhoon-inspired baby names

So far I’ve heard of two babies born in the Philippines in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan (a.k.a. typhoon Yolanda) who were given typhoon-related names:

  • Bea Joy, daughter of Emily Ortega Sagalis, was born in the Tacloban airport. She was named Bea in honor of her grandmother Beatriz, who died in the storm.
  • Israel, son of Emylous and Audrin Antigua, was born in an Israeli field hospital in Bogo City. His mother chose the name Israel “to show her gratitude to the Israeli team composed of doctors, surgeons, nurses and rescue personnel.”

Source: It’s a boy! 2nd baby born in Yolanda’s aftermath

Baby names spelled with the names of letters: Ivy (IV), Casey (KC), Ellie (LE)

A reader named Becky recently emailed me with a rather cool request:

We’re looking for a girl name that has an actual spelling and letter combinations to represent the word. For example Evie (EV) and Katie (KT). Any suggestions would be great!

Here’s a long list of (mostly female) names that can be spelled with the names of letters. Some of the letter strings don’t quite replicate the pronunciation of the corresponding name, but, even if they don’t match perfectly, they do come pretty close.

Can you guys think of any others? Let me know and I’ll add them!

Update, 2015: Here’s a baby girl named Elloebee, a phonetic spelling of the acronym LOB (“legion of boom”).

Update, Feb. 2025: Just spotted the name Effely (FLE) in an article about Cambridgeshire baby names.

Update, Apr. 2025: Here’s a college basketball player named Azzi Fudd, first name pronounced like the letters A and Z.

Update, Jul. 2025: Here’s a 19th-century baby girl from Norfolk, England, named Emdiella (MDLR).

[Latest update: Jul. 2025]

“Golden Girl” names: Blanche & Bea, Rose & Rue

"The Golden Girls"
“The Golden Girls“

Old is new again the world of baby names, so lets take a look at the names of TV’s Golden Girls:

  • Dorothy, played by Beatrice “Bea” Arthur
  • Rose, played by Betty White
  • Blanche, played by (Eddi) Rue McClanahan
  • Sophia, played by Estelle Getty

Only three of the names above — Sophia, Rose and Beatrice — managed to make the top 1,000 in 2006. (They ranked 9th, 350th and 966th, respectively).

Are any of the others due for a comeback? What do you think?

Image: Screenshot of The Golden Girls