65+ B Names for Girls That We Don’t See Often Enough

Girl names that start with B have hit a new low over the past decade. 

At its best, the letter “b” was a top-3 first initial for baby girls in the United States every year between 1926 and 1941, according to Behind the Name. 

With that said, we can consider the 1930s the “golden age” of girl names starting with B. 

RELATED: The Ultimate List of 4 Letter Names for Girls

But something happened in the decades that followed — and B girl names haven’t been the same since. 

The letter “b” fell out of the top-5 by 1947 and out of the top-10 in 1962. It started making a comeback when it re-entered the top-10 in 1986, but fell back out of the top-10 in 2016. 

B names for girls have now hit a new low, dipping as far back as 13th in 2023 and 2024. 

Looking at data from the Social Security Administration (SSA), you can see the difference 100 years can make. 

Of the 100 most popular girl names of the 1930s, when the letter “b” was at its best, five of them were girl names that start with B — and two of them ranked inside the top-3:

Those five girl names that start with D accounted for more than 740,000 of the 11 million baby girls born in the United States in the 1930s, per the SSA. 

Yet, none of them were listed in the SSA’s top-100 most popular girl names of 2024. In fact, there were no B girl names in the top-100 and only four girl names (Isabella, Elizabeth, Abigail, Ruby) included a B. 

Seeing that girl names starting with B need some love, here are some unique options for your daughter!

Blake

Origin: Old English

Meaning: Black; Pale

Blake, pronounced BLAYK, originated as a surname derived from the Old English word blæc, meaning “black,” or blac, meaning “pale.” The rise of actress Blake Lively helped popularize it as a girl’s name.

Brooke

Origin: Old English

Meaning: Brook; Small natural stream

Brooke, pronounced BROOK, comes directly from the English word brook and Old English word broc, referring to a small natural stream. It originated as a surname for someone who lived near a brook. 

Bella

Origin: Italian

Meaning: Beautiful; God’s oath; Oath to God

Bella, pronounced BEL-uh, comes directly from the Italian word bella, meaning “beautiful,” but is also considered a diminutive or nickname of Isabella and Elizabeth, meaning “oath to God” or “God’s oath.” 

Brielle

Origin: English; Hebrew

Meaning: God is my strong man; God is my hero

Brielle, pronounced BREE-el, is a shortened form of Gabrielle and Gabriel, which comes from the Hebrew name Ḡavriʾel and is composed of the Hebrew elements gever, meaning “strong man,” and el, meaning “God.”

Blakely

Origin: Old English

Meaning: Dark meadow; Dark clearing

Blakely, pronounced BLAYK-lee, derives from the Old English elements blæc, meaning “black,” or blac, meaning “pale,” combined with the Old English element leah, meaning “meadow” or “clearing.” 

Brianna

Origin: Old Irish

Meaning: Strong; Powerful; Exalted; Mighty

Brianna, pronounced bree-AN-uh or bree-AH-nuh, is the feminine form of Brian, which is believed to derive from the Old Irish word brií, meaning “hill” or “high,” or briíg, meaning “might” or “power.” 

Bailey

Origin: English

Meaning: Bailiff; Steward

Bailey, pronounced BAY-lee, originated as a surname derived from the Middle English word baili, meaning “bailiff.” It was traditionally given to someone who worked as a bailiff, steward or official of the law. 

Blaire

Origin: Scottish; Gaelic

Meaning: Plain; Field; Battlefield

Blaire, pronounced BLAIR, is a variant of Blair, which originated as a Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word blàr, meaning “plain,” “field” or “battlefield.” Blair is currently more popular than Blaire. 

Bonnie

Origin: Scottish; Middle English

Meaning: Pretty; Good

Bonnie, pronounced BAH-nee, comes directly from the Scottish word bonnie, meaning “pretty,” which derives from the Middle English word bon, meaning “good.” It was popularized by a character in “Gone With the Wind.” 

Bianca

Origin: Italian; French; Latin

Meaning: White; Fair-colored

Bianca, pronounced bee-AHN-kuh, is an Italian cognate of Blanche that comes from the feminine form of the French word for “white” or “fair-colored,” which derives from the Latin word blancus, meaning “white.” 

Beatrice

Origin: Italian; Latin

Meaning: Voyager; Traveler

Beatrice, pronounced BEE-uh-triss, is the Italian form of Beatrix that’s believed to come from Viatrix, which is the feminine form of the Late Latin name Viator, meaning “voyager” or “traveler” in Latin. 

Brynn

Origin: Welsh

Meaning: Hill; Mound

Brynn, pronounced BRIN, is the feminine form of Bryn, which comes directly from the Welsh element bryn, meaning “hill” or “mound.” It’s traditionally a masculine name in Wales, but is unisex in the U.S..

Briar

Origin: English

Meaning: Thorny plant; Prickly plant

Briar, pronounced BRY-er, comes from the name for a thorny or prickly plant, often with a woody stem. The name ultimately derives from the Middle English word brere and Old English word brer or brær. 

Brooklyn

Origin: English; Dutch

Meaning: Broken land; Marsh land

Brooklyn, pronounced BROOK-lin, comes directly from the name of a borough of New York City, which is believed to be named after the Dutch town of Breukelen, meaning “broken land” or “marsh land.”

Bristol

Origin: Old English

Meaning: The site of the bridge

Bristol, pronounced BRIS-tuhl, comes directly from the name of a city in southwestern England, which derives from the Old English name Brycgstow, meaning “the site of the bridge.” There are also several cities in the U.S. named Bristol. 

Belen

Origin: Spanish; Italian

Meaning: Beautiful; Jesus’ birthplace; House of bread

Belen, pronounced BEL-in, buh-LIN or BAY-lin, is either a diminutive of the name Belinda, meaning “beautiful,” or the Spanish form of Bethlehem, the town in Judah where King David and Jesus were born.

Billie

Origin: English; Germanic

Meaning: Desire to protect; Resolute protector

Billie, pronounced BIL-ee, is a diminutive and nickname of Bill, which comes from the Germanic name Willehelm (William) and is composed of the Germanic elements willo, meaning “desire,” and helm, meaning “protection.” 

Bridget

Origin: English; Irish

Meaning: The exalted one; Goddess of fire

Bridget, pronounced BRIH-jit, is the Anglicized form of the Irish name Brighid (Old Irish Brigit), which derives from the Old Irish element Brigantī, meaning “the exalted one.” This was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom in Irish mythology.

Bethany

Origin: Biblical; Hebrew

Meaning: House of affliction; House of figs; Biblical town

Bethany, pronounced BETH-uh-nee, comes from the name of a biblical town, Bethania, which is believed to mean “house of affliction” or “house of figs” in Hebrew. In the Bible, Bethania is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha.

Birdie

Origin: English

Meaning: Small bird; One under par

Birdie, pronounced BUR-dee, is an elaborated form of the English word bird, referring to the small, winged animal. It can also refer to “one under par” in golf or be used as a nickname for Bernice or Bertha.

Brittany

Origin: English; French

Meaning: From Brittany; Of Briton

Brittany, pronounced BRIT-nee, comes from the name of a region in France, which was named after the Britons who settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It means “from Brittany” or “of Briton.”

Braelynn

Origin: American; Invented

Meaning: Hill by the lake; Lake by a hill

Braelynn, pronounced BRAY-lin, is most likely an invented name that rose to popularity alongside other similar names like Braylen and Raelynn. For meaning, it could derive from Cornish bre, meaning “hill,” and Welsh llyn, meaning “lake.” 

Baylor

Origin: American; German

Meaning: Texas college; Measuring stick

Baylor, pronounced BAY-ler, comes from the name of the Texas college, Baylor University, which was named in honor of Judge R. E. B. Baylor, who was instrumental in the founding of the university. 

Bellamy

Origin: English; French

Meaning: Beautiful friend

Bellamy, pronounced BEL-uh-mee, originated as an English surname derived from the French phrase bel ami, meaning “beautiful friend.” It’s a unisex name, but is more popular among baby boys than girls. 

Barbara

Origin: Greek

Meaning: Foreigner; Non-Greek

Barbara, pronounced BAHR-bruh or BAHR-buh-ruh, comes from the Greek word barbaros, meaning “foreigner” or “non-Greek person.” Saint Barbara is the patron saint of architects, geologists, stonemasons and artillerymen.

Brynlee

Origin: Welsh; Old Norse

Meaning: Burnt meadow; Meadow by the hill

Brynlee, pronounced BRIN-lee, comes from the Welsh element bryn, meaning “hill” or “mound,” or Old Norse brenna, meaning “to burn,” combined with the Old English element leah, meaning “meadow.” 

Berkley

Origin: Old English

Meaning: Birch meadow; Birch clearing

Berkley, pronounced BURK-lee, is a variant of the place name Berkeley and Barclay, which is composed of the Old English elements beorc, meaning "birch," and leah, meaning "clearing” or “meadow."

Betty

Origin: American; English

Meaning: Oath to God; Voyager; House of figs

Betty, pronounced BET-ee, is a common nickname for Elizabeth, meaning “God is my oath” or “oath to God,” but can also be a diminutive of Beatrice, meaning “voyager,” and Bethany, meaning “house of figs.” 

Blanche

Origin: French; Latin

Meaning: White; Fair-colored

Blanche, pronounced BLAWNCH or BLANCH, comes directly from the French word for “white” or “fair colored,” which is ultimately derived from the Old French blanc and Latin blancus, of the same meaning.

Beverly

Origin: Old English

Meaning: Beaver meadow; Beaver stream

Beverly, pronounced BEH-ver-lee, originated as a place name in Yorkshire. It’s composed of the Old English elements beofor, meaning "beaver," and either licc, meaning "stream,” or leah, meaning “meadow.”

Bernice

Origin: Greek; Macedonian

Meaning: Bringing victory; Winner

Bernice, pronounced BUR-nees or BAIR-nees, comes from the Macedonian name Berenike and Greek name Pherenike, which is composed of the Greek elements phero, meaning “to bring,” and nike, meaning “victory.” 

Bertha

Origin: Old Frankish; Old High German

Meaning: Bright

Bertha, pronounced BUR-thuh, derives from the Old Frankish word berht and Old High German word beraht, meaning “bright.” It hasn’t appeared in the SSA’s top 1,000 most popular girl names since 1985.

Bobbie

Origin: Germanic; Greek

Meaning: Bright fame; Foreigner

Bobbie, pronounced BAH-bee, is a common diminutive of Bob, Robert and Roberta, which mean “bright fame” in German, but can also be used as a nickname for Barbara, meaning “foreigner” in Greek. 

Bessie

Origin: American; Invented

Meaning: Oath to God; Voyager; Traveler

Bessie, pronounced BEH-see, is similar to the name Betty. It’s a nickname for Elizabeth, meaning “God is my oath” or “oath to God,” but can also be a diminutive of Beatrice, meaning “voyager” or “traveler.” 

Beulah

Origin: Hebrew; Biblical

Meaning: Married; Land of Israel

Beulah, pronounced BYOO-luh, comes directly from the Hebrew word for “married.” In the Bible, "Beulah" refers to the land of Israel and is used metaphorically to describe the land being "married" or favored by God.

Bernadette

Origin: French; Old German

Meaning: Brave bear

Bernadette, pronounced BUR-nuh-DET, is the French feminine form of Bernard, which is composed of the Old German elements bern, meaning “bear,” and hart, meaning “brave.” Americans often use Bernadine. 

Beryl

Origin: English; Latin; Greek

Meaning: Precious stone; Mineral

Beryl, pronounced BAIR-uhl, comes from the English word for the mineral and precious stone composed of beryllium and aluminum silicate. It’s ultimately derived from the Latin word beryllus and Greek bēryllos.

Blair

Origin: Scottish; Gaelic

Meaning: Plain; Field; Battlefield

Blair, pronounced BLAYR, originated as a Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word blàr, meaning “plain,” “field” or “battlefield.” This is currently the preferred spelling (over Blaire) in the United States.

Becky

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: Joined; Attached

Becky, pronounced BEH-kee, is a diminutive of Rebecca, which comes from the Hebrew name Rivqa and is believed to mean “to join” or “to tie.” In the Bible, Rebecca is the wife of Isaac, son of Abraham, and mother of Esau and Jacob.

Bernadine

Origin: Old German

Meaning: Brave bear

Bernadine, pronounced BUR-nuh-deen, is a feminine form of Bernard (much like Bernadette), which is composed of the Old German elements bern, meaning “bear,” and hart, meaning “brave.” 

Brynleigh

Origin: Welsh; Old English

Meaning: Hill by a meadow; Meadow by a hill

Brynleigh, pronounced BRIN-lay or BRIN-lee, is a variant of Brynlee, which comes from the Welsh element bryn, meaning “hill” or “mound,” combined with the Old English word leah, meaning “meadow.” 

Bonita

Origin: Spanish

Meaning: Beautiful; Pretty

Bonita, pronounced BOH-nee-tuh, comes directly from the Spanish word bonita, meaning “beautiful” or “pretty,” which is ultimately derived from the Latin word bonus, meaning “good.” It’s a variant of Bonnie.

Bennie

Origin: Hebrew; Latin

Meaning: Daughter of the south; Blessed

Bennie, pronounced BEH-nee, is a common diminutive or nickname of Benjamin, meaning “son of the south” in Hebrew, or Benedict, meaning “blessed” in Latin. It’s a unisex name, but more popular for boys. 

Belva

Origin: Italian

Meaning: Beautiful sight; Beautiful view

Belva, pronounced BEL-vuh, is believed to be a diminutive of Belvedere, which is composed of the Italian elements bel, meaning “beautiful,” and vedere, meaning “sight” or “view.” Belva Lockwood was one of the first female lawyers in the United States.

Brenda

Origin: Old Welsh; Old Norse

Meaning: King; Prince; Fire

Brenda, pronounced BREN-duh, is believed to be a feminine variant of Brendan, which comes from the Old Welsh word breenhin, meaning “king” or “prince.” It’s also linked to Old Norse Brandr, meaning “fire.” 

Bethel

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: House of God

Bethel, pronounced BETH-uhl, comes from a place name composed of the Hebrew elements beth, meaning “house,” and el, referring to the Hebrew God. In the Bible, Bethel is a sacred place of worship.

Briella

Origin: Hebrew

Meaning: God is my strong man; God’s strong man

Briella, pronounced bree-EL-uh, is a shortened form of Gabriella, which comes from the Hebrew name Ḡavriʾel and is composed of the Hebrew elements gever, meaning “strong man,” and el, meaning “God.”

Bailee

Origin: English

Meaning: Bailiff; Steward

Bailee, pronounced BAY-lee, is a variant of Bailey, which was a surname derived from the Middle English word baili, meaning “bailiff.” It was traditionally given to someone who worked as a bailiff or steward.

Benita

Origin: Spanish; Latin

Meaning: Blessed

Benita, pronounced BEH-nee-tuh or beh-NEE-duh, is the feminine form of Benito, which is a diminutive of Benedicto and, ultimately, Benedict, which comes from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning “blessed.” 

Bettie

Origin: American; English

Meaning: Oath to God; Voyager; House of figs

Bettie, pronounced BEH-tee, is a common nickname for Elizabeth, meaning “God is my oath” or “oath to God,” but can also be a diminutive of Beatrice, meaning “voyager,” and Bethany, meaning “house of figs.” 

Burgundy

Origin: English; French

Meaning: French region; French wine; Dark reddish-purple color

Burgundy, pronounced BUR-gun-dee, can either refer to the historical region in east-central France, the wine (which comes from the French region), or the reddish color (which comes from the color of the wine). 

Bevelyn

Origin: Unknown

Meaning: Beaver meadow; Desired child

Bevelyn, pronounced BEH-vuh-lin, is most likely a combination of the names Beverly, meaning “beaver meadow” or “beaver stream” in Old English, and Evelyn, meaning “desired child” or “island in the water.”

Beckett

Origin: English

Meaning: Bee cottage; Beak; Stream

Beckett, pronounced BEH-kit, is believed to derive from the Old English words beo, meaning “bee,” and cot, meaning “cottage,” though it can also derive from the Middle English bec, meaning “beak,” or bekke, meaning “stream.” 

Blessing

Origin: English

Meaning: Divine grace; Gift from God

Blessing, pronounced BLEH-sing, comes directly from the English word blessing (derived from the Old English word bledsunge), meaning “divine grace” or “a gift from God that gives temporal or spiritual benefit.”

Bronwyn

Origin: Welsh

Meaning: Blessed hill; White breast

Bronwyn, pronounced BRAHN-win, is a variant of Bronwen, which is believed to be composed of the Welsh elements bron, meaning “breast” or “hill,” and gwen, meaning “white” or “blessed.” 

Bryce

Origin: Latin; Gaulish

Meaning: Speckled; Freckled

Bryce, pronounced BRICE, is a variant of Brice and Bricius, which is believed to come from a Gaulish name meaning “freckled” or “speckled.” It’s far more popular as a boy name, but can still go both ways.

Bijou

Origin: French

Meaning: Jewel

Bijou, pronounced BIH-zhoo or BEE-zhoo, comes directly from the French word bijou, meaning “jewel.” The most well-known example today is Bijou Phillips, an American actress, model, and singer.

Blossom

Origin: English

Meaning: Flowers; Bloom

Blossom, pronounced BLAH-sum, comes directly from the English word blossom (derived from the Old English word blostma), referring to a flower or a mass of flowers, especially those found on a tree or bush.

Bloom

Origin: English

Meaning: Flowers; Growth

Bloom, pronounced BLOOM, comes directly from the English word bloom (derived from the Old Norse word blomi), which means “to produce or yield flowers” or “to support abundant plant life.”

Blythe

Origin: English

Meaning: Cheerful; Happy

Blythe, pronounced BLITH, comes directly from the English word blythe (derived from the Old English word bliþe), meaning “cheerful” or “happy.” One of the most famous examples today is actress Blythe Danner.

Bryony

Origin: Greek

Meaning: Sprout; Swell

Bryony, pronounced BRY-uh-nee, comes from the name of a type of climbing plant, which is ultimately derived from the Greek root bryo, meaning "to sprout" or "to swell," referring to the plant's growth.

Blanca

Origin: Spanish

Meaning: White; Fair-colored

Blanca, pronounced BLAHN-kuh, comes directly from the Spanish word blanca, meaning “white,” and is often linked to the Italian name Bianca and French name Blanche, both of which also mean “white.” 

Brooklynn

Origin: English; Dutch

Meaning: Broken land; Marsh land

Brooklyn, pronounced BROOK-lin, is a variant of Brooklyn, which comes directly from the name of a borough in New York City, which is named after the Dutch town of Breukelen, meaning “broken land” or “marsh land.”

Brinley

Origin: Welsh; Old English

Meaning: Hill by a meadow; Meadow by a hill

Brinley, pronounced BRIN-lee, is a variant of Brynlee, which comes from the Welsh element bryn, meaning “hill” or “mound,” combined with the Old English word leah, meaning “meadow.”

Brenna

Origin: Old Norse; Irish

Meaning: Fire; Torch; Rain; Moisture

Brenna, pronounced BREH-nuh, could be a variant of Brenda, which means “fire” or “torch” in Old Norse, but other theories suggest that it’s a feminine form of Brennan, which means “rain” or “moisture” in Irish.

Beatrix

Origin: Latin

Meaning: Voyager; Traveler

Beatrix, pronounced BEE-uh-triks, is believed to be a variant of Viatrix, which comes from the Latin name Viator, meaning “voyager” or “traveler.” Beatrice has long been the preferred option in the United States.

Are You Loving or Dismissing Girl Names That Start With B?

Girl names that start with B might not be as popular as they once were, but don’t let that stop you!

As you can see from the list above, there are plenty of unique, trendy and modern B girl names to choose from, even though parents tend to prefer other first initials — such as A, E, M, S, L and C. 

With that said, we understand that B names for girls aren’t going to appeal to everyone. 

Considering there are 25 other letters of the alphabet to consider, we highly recommend seeing what each letter has to offer before throwing it away — even if that means doing away with B girl names. 

If so, then don’t worry: Mod Moms Club has what you’re looking for. 

ALSO ON MOD MOMS CLUB: 50+ Baby Names With a Hyphen for Your Little Girl

In addition to publishing new baby name lists (like the one above) every week, Mod Moms Club has a baby name generator that allows expecting parents to narrow their baby name list down to their favorites!