Bea

Did you know?

A few things about Bea you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Bea

Bea Benaderet

American actress (1906–1968)

Choose Bea and your child shares a first name with Bea Benaderet, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Bea, like who?” Bea Benaderet's Wikipedia article is available in 22 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Bea Benaderet on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: CBS Television-Photo is CBS Portrait by Gabor Rona, partly hidden by clipping. Rona did a lot of photography for CBS and, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 19,380 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Bea, 83 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Bea would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryBea first shows up in US birth records in 1883, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 142 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1908, when it reached #829.
• 📈Then vs nowBea is 18× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 357,143 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 19,380.
• 🚀TrendBea has climbed 927 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #2,214. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 💬MeaningBea is an English form of Beatrice, which means “she who brings joy”. Our records link it to American and Latin roots.

About the name Bea

Bea is a girl name of American and Latin origin meaning “she who brings joy”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with B and ending in “-bea”. US birth records list Bea for girls from 1883 to 2025, in 112 of those 143 years. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked #829 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,214, with 83 babies.

Origin:American namesLatin names