Entry № 1329 · French origin

Belle Belle — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ BELL /
Gender
Girl
Origin
French
Meaning
"Beautiful (the French Beauty and the Beast heroine)"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 440
First recorded
Medieval (French)

A name that means "beautiful (the french beauty and the beast heroine)".

Belle is from the French belle (beautiful) — the feminine form of beau. *"La Belle" — "Beauty" — is the heroine of the French fairy tale La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast) first published by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740; Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's 1756 abridged version is the version most commonly read today. Disney's animated Beauty and the Beast (1991) was the first animated film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards; the live-action 2017 remake with Emma Watson became one of the highest-grossing films of 2017. Belle Boyd (1844-1900) — Confederate spy during the American Civil War. Belle Starr (1848-1889) — American outlaw. A top-1000 US baby name from 1880 through 1934 and again from 2011 to present*.

Subject of Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête (1946 film) and Bill Condon's 2017 live-action remake.

Beautiful. La Belle of the 1740 French fairy tale; the first animated film nominated for Best Picture (1991).

The name in its native script.

Belle
Transliteration
Belle
Pronunciation
/ bɛl /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Belle stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 440 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 174 in 1888
Babies named Belle · last year
690 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1880
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #174 NOW · #440

Belles before her.

Real people
Belle Boyd
American Civil War spy.
1844 – 1900
Belle Starr
American outlaw.
1848 – 1889
In fiction
Belle
Beauty and the Beast.
1740

Names connected to Belle.

The number behind Belle.

9

The Giver

In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Belle reduce to 9, The Giver. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.