Names

Short form of Benjamin or Benedict. A notable bearer was Ben Jonson (1572-1637), an English poet and playwright.

From בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (Belshatzzar), the Hebrew form of the Akkadian name Bel-sharra-usur meaning “Bel protect the king”. This was the name of the son of Nabonidus, the last king of the Babylonian Empire before the Persians conquered it in the 6th century BC. In the Old Testament Book of Daniel Belshazzar is the last king of Babylon who sees the mystical handwriting on the wall, which is interpreted by Daniel to portend the end of the empire.

Form of Belshazzar found in the Hebrew Bible.

Akkadian form of Belshazzar.

Combination of belle “beautiful” and the name Phoebe. This name was first used by Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590).

Meaning unknown.

Derived from Latin bellare meaning “to fight”. This was the name of the Roman goddess of war, a companion of Mars.

Short form of Isabella or names ending in belle. It is also associated with the French word belle meaning “beautiful”. A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.

Means “female warrior” in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.

From a surname derived from Old French bel ami meaning “beautiful friend”.