
Origin, Meaning, And History Of Bella
Derived from the Latin word Bellus, meaning beautiful, the name Bella has Italian and Spanish roots. In Hebrew, it means ‘gift of God,’ while in Spanish, it translates to ‘beautiful.’ The name is also associated with beauty in Latin, Portuguese, and Greek languages. It is also derived from Isabella and similar words that come with ‘bella’ as a suffix.
The name Bella has other references aside from being a Hebrew name meaning “beautiful.” It is also a town and comune located in the Potenza province of the Basilicata region in southern Italy. In addition, it refers to a ceramic plate in Renaissance style featuring portraits of young women, such as the Wall Plate BellaDonna Francesca Niccacci Deruta.
Furthermore, the name Bella is often used as a variation of Isabelle, Isabella, or Annabella, and is associated with Queen Isabella I of Castille, also known as Isabella the Catholic. In English, it is a diminutive of Annabel and a variant of the Latin Amabel. Its equivalents in Estonian are Eliisabet, and in Finnish, Elisabet, Isabella, and Iisa. In Portuguese and Spanish, it is known as Bonita, while in Italian, it is sometimes spelled as Bellezza or Bellissima.
The name Bella’s popularity in the English-speaking world of the 19th century may have been sparked by the literary works of prominent writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens. Poe’s poem ‘Annabel Lee’ featured a protagonist with a similar name, while Charles Dickens named the central character of his last novel in, Our Mutual Friend as Bella Wilfer. In popular culture, Marvel’s X-Men comics also included Bella Donna Boudreaux, created by Jim Lee and Scott Lobdell.
More recently, the name Bella gained further popularity through modern media, such as the character Bella Swan in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga and Princess Belle in Disney’s animated film Beauty and the Beast. In addition, Bella was also the name of a character in the American drama television series ‘Young Americans.’
How To Pronounce Bella?
Famous People With The Name Bella
- Bella Cohen SpewackAmerican journalist known for her work in The New York Call
- Bella AbzugAmerican lawyer, social activist, and a leader in the women’s movement
- Bella DavidovichFirst Soviet emigré musician to get an invitation from the Soviet agency Goskoncert
- Bella HadidAmerican supermodel who got the Model of the Year honor in 2016
- Bella HaryFolk musician honored with BBC Folk Singer of the Year
- Bella Clara LandauerAmerican collector and historian of commercial trade arts
- Bella FeldmanAmerican sculptor known for her usage of glass with steel
- Bella JarrettAmerican stage actor renowned for acting in The Broadway
- Bella JakubiakAustralian chef known for winning the reality television cooking programme, My Kitchen Rules
Bella On The Popularity Chart
Bella’s popularity surged in the year 2010. Here is a graphical representation of the name over the past few decades.
Popularity Over Time
Take a look at the graph below, which shows the popularity of the name Bella from the 1980s to the present.
Source: Social Security AdministrationRank Over Time
Bella has been continuously ranking in the top 100 names for the past decade. Have a look at this graph here.
Source: Social Security AdministrationNames With Similar Sound As Bella
Bella sounds exquisite. Here are a few more sweet-sounding names you may wish to explore.
Names With Similar Meaning As Bella
Looking for names that mean beautiful? Have a look at the following options.
Name Numerology For Bella


