About Belle
Belle is both a familiar form of Isabella or names ending in belle and a name associated with French belle, meaning “beautiful.” Its single syllable has become especially recognizable through Disney's Beauty and the Beast. An older American bearer, Belle Starr, connects the same name with the history and mythology of the western frontier.
Meaning and related names
As a short form, Belle can accompany Isabella, Isabelle, or longer names with a belle ending. Isabella belongs to the Elizabeth family, whose Hebrew origin means “my God is an oath.” The French adjective provides another association rather than replacing that longer name's history.
Maybelle and Annabelle offer different routes to the familiar form. Bella is a close spelling and sound relative, adding a final vowel. Bell is another variant, though its spelling also matches the English word for the ringing instrument.
Belle is pronounced BEL, rhyming with well. Its final e is silent. Belle and Bell sound alike in English, while Bella adds a second syllable.
Belle in Beauty and the Beast
Disney's animated Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991. Belle sets out to rescue her father and takes his place as the Beast's prisoner in an enchanted castle.
The story follows a relationship that develops beyond an alarming first impression. Belle's concern for her father brings her into the castle, while her eventual understanding of the Beast is central to the transformation at the end.
The character remains a prominent part of Disney's princess stories and books. This association gives Belle a specific fairy-tale setting, while its use as a personal name long predates the animated film.
Belle Starr
Belle Starr was born Myra Maybelle Shirley in Missouri in 1848. Her familiar name came from Maybelle, illustrating a longer-name route different from Isabella.
After marrying Sam Starr in 1880, she lived at Youngers' Bend in the Cherokee Nation, in present-day Oklahoma. Their cabin became a refuge for outlaws. Her own documented criminal history was narrower than the later “Bandit Queen” legend suggests: the Oklahoma Historical Society identifies a horse theft in 1882 as her only documented crime.
Starr was shot and killed by an unidentified assailant on February 3, 1889. Newspapers and popular stories helped turn her into an enduring western figure. Her life and the later legend should be distinguished when describing this historical bearer.
American popularity
Belle's largest recorded American female birth count came in 1915, with 407 births and a rank of No. 288. There were 74 girls with the name in 2000 and 155 in 2010.
In 2025, 247 girls received Belle, ranked No. 1,013. Recent use is higher than around 2000 but remains below the early-twentieth-century birth-count high.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Existing Wiktionary material is attributed under CC BY-SA 4.0 where applicable. Popularity figures use the local Social Security Administration exact-spelling series; name-sex-year counts below five are omitted.
- Wiktionary: Belle (English)
- Wiktionary: Belle (Cebuano)
- Wiktionary: Belle (Dutch)
- SSA national name data
- Wikidata: Belle Delphine
- Wikidata: Belle Starr
- Wikidata: Belle Gunness
- Wikidata: Belle Boyd
- Wikidata: Belle Knox
- Disney Animation
- Disney Books
- Oklahoma Historical Society
Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
How popular is Belle?
In 2025, Belle ranked #1,013 among girls in the United States, with 247 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 407 in 1915. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.