| Bella | Bianca | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Beautiful | White |
| Origin | italian | Italian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | BEL-uh | bee-AHN-kuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1905 |
| Peak year | 2010 (5,136) | 1991 (3,844) |
| In 2025 | 2,129 | 594 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Bella | Bianca |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 17,107 | 4,106 |
| 2010s | 43,218 | 9,293 |
| 2000s | 16,828 | 18,914 |
| 1990s | 854 | 28,558 |
| 1980s | 195 | 12,462 |
| 1970s | 236 | 3,041 |
| 1960s | 227 | 560 |
| 1950s | 305 | 324 |
| 1940s | 235 | 73 |
| 1930s | 363 | 33 |
| 1920s | 1,349 | 95 |
| 1910s | 1,576 | 89 |
| 1900s | 555 | 16 |
| 1890s | 431 | 0 |
| 1880s | 242 | 0 |
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'.
From the Italian, “white,” a symbol of purity.
Bella is more popular than Bianca today: about 2,129 US babies were given the name Bella in 2025, compared with 594 named Bianca.
Bella means Beautiful (italian origin), while Bianca means White (Italian origin).
In US records, Bella first appears in 1880 and Bianca in 1905, so Bella has the longer recorded history.