Thirty years of Bella
Bella in numbers
Bella peaked in 2014 with 1,141 girls and has fallen since, to 515 in 2025. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2009 and 2012, from 314 to 1,027. It ranked 916th in 1996, reached 52nd in 2014 and ranks 91st now. On average it was given to 25 girls a year in the late 1990s, 106 in the 2000s, 948 in the 2010s and 664 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-17%619 to 515
- 5 years-35%792 to 515
- 10 years-50%1,020 to 515
- 20 years+513%84 to 515
- Since 1996×2223 to 515
- Total, 1996 to 202514,623girls
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 91 · ONS · 619 in 2024
Rank 111 · NRS · 50 in 2024
Rank 161 · NISRA · 26 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 91 | 515 | -17% | 1 in 553 |
| 2024 | =76 | 619 | -10% | 1 in 468 |
| 2023 | 67 | 687 | +7% | 1 in 419 |
| 2022 | 77 | 642 | -12% | 1 in 459 |
| 2021 | 72 | 730 | -8% | 1 in 417 |
| 2020 | 63 | 792 | -17% | 1 in 378 |
| 2019 | 53 | 958 | -1% | 1 in 325 |
| 2018 | 54 | 969 | -1% | 1 in 330 |
| 2017 | 59 | 974 | +3% | 1 in 340 |
| 2016 | 66 | 946 | -7% | 1 in 359 |
| 2015 | =58 | 1,020 | -11% | 1 in 333 |
| 2014 | 52 | 1,141 | +10% | 1 in 297 |
| 2013 * | 56 | 1,042 | +1% | 1 in 328 |
| 2012 | 58 | 1,027 | +25% | 1 in 346 |
| 2011 | 69 | 823 | +43% | 1 in 429 |
| 2010 | 104 | 575 | +83% | 1 in 613 |
| 2009 | 165 | 314 | +71% | 1 in 1,096 |
| 2008 | =261 | 184 | +14% | 1 in 1,879 |
| 2007 | =293 | 161 | +49% | 1 in 2,084 |
| 2006 | =388 | 108 | +29% | 1 in 3,029 |
| 2005 | =438 | 84 | +31% | 1 in 3,753 |
| 2004 | =514 | 64 | +36% | 1 in 4,865 |
| 2003 | =619 | 47 | +34% | 1 in 6,447 |
| 2002 | =735 | 35 | +0% | 1 in 8,287 |
| 2001 | =710 | 35 | +9% | 1 in 8,285 |
| 2000 | =728 | 32 | -3% | 1 in 9,213 |
| 1999 | =703 | 33 | +43% | 1 in 9,170 |
| 1998 | =925 | 23 | +15% | n/a |
| 1997 | =1,015 | 20 | -13% | 1 in 15,676 |
| 1996 | =916 | 23 | 1 in 13,739 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Bella
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Bella is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate