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Aria vs Bella

Which is more popular?
Aria is more popular than Bella today: about 6,130 US babies were given the name Aria in 2025, compared with 2,129 named Bella.
AriaBella
Meaning air; melody Beautiful
Origin italian italian
Gender Girl Girl
Pronunciation AR-ee-uh BEL-uh
Syllables 3 2
First appeared19001880
Peak year2018 (7,437)2010 (5,136)
In 20256,1302,129
TrendRisingSteady
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Aria Bella
18801900192019401960198020002020

Source: US Social Security Administration.

Births by decade

DecadeAriaBella
2020s 37,059 17,107
2010s 52,264 43,218
2000s 4,173 16,828
1990s 1,270 854
1980s 516 195
1970s 181 236
1960s 30 227
1950s 38 305
1940s 22 235
1930s 5 363
1920s 47 1,349
1910s 48 1,576
1900s 21 555
1890s 0 431
1880s 0 242

What does Aria mean?

From the Italian word 'aria', meaning 'air' and, in music, a solo melody or song. An identical-looking name also exists in Hebrew (related to 'aryeh', lion) and Persian, but the modern popularity rests on the Italian 'melody' sense.

What does Bella mean?

Directly the Italian/Spanish word bella 'beautiful', from Latin bella/bellus. NOTE: as a given name Bella is most often a short form of Isabella, whose own meaning is 'pledged/devoted to God' (a Hebrew-origin name, NOT beauty); Bella qualifies here only on the strength of the standalone Italian word 'beautiful'.

Frequently asked questions

Is Aria or Bella more popular?

Aria is more popular than Bella today: about 6,130 US babies were given the name Aria in 2025, compared with 2,129 named Bella.

What is the difference between Aria and Bella?

Aria means air; melody (italian origin), while Bella means Beautiful (italian origin).

Which name is older, Aria or Bella?

In US records, Aria first appears in 1900 and Bella in 1880, so Bella has the longer recorded history.