The Brilliant Book of Baby Names: What’s best, what’s hot and what’s not. Linda Rosenkrantz

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BEATRICE. Latin, ‘blessed’ or ‘she who brings happiness’. Beatrice is back. Stored in the attic for almost a century, this lovely name with a long literary (Shakespeare, Dante) and royal history is being looked at with fresh eyes by parents (such as Paul McCartney) seeking a classic name with character and lots of upbeat nicknames. Bea, Beah, Beat, Beata, Beatie, Bee, Beatris, Beatriss, Bice, Trix, Trixi, Trixie, Trixy. International: Beatha (Irish), Beitris (Scottish Gaelic), Betrys (Welsh,) Béatrice (French), Beatrice (Italian), Beatriz (Spanish), Beatrix (Dutch), Beatrisa (German), Beate (Norwegian).

      

BEATRIX. Latin, ‘blessed’ or ‘she who brings happiness’. Beatrix has a solid history of its own (think Beatrix Potter), and that final x adds a playful, animated note.

      BEATRIZ. Spanish variation of BEATRICE. Another attractive translation of Beatrice, popular with Hispanic parents.

      BEBE. Diminutive of BEATRICE, BEATRIX. High-kicking cohort of Coco, Gigi, Fifi, Kiki, et al. Beebee, Bibi.

      BECCA. Diminutive of REBECCA. The currently preferred replacement for Becky, sometimes used on its own. Beccah, Becka, Beckah, Bekka, Bekkah.

      

BECHET. French surname. Naming babies for personal heroes is the cool contemporary trend followed by Woody Allen when he honoured New Orleans jazz musician Sidney Bechet in his daughter’s name. Has a nice, catchy Gallic feel.

      BECHETTE. French, ‘little spade’. Pronounced Beshette, this unfamiliar French appellation sounds fresh and feminine.

      

BECK. English, ‘one living beside a small stream’, short form of REBECCA. Although the single-named singer is male, this remains a girl’s nickname name.

      BECKY. Diminutive of REBECCA. One of those casual down-home names last popular in the 1960s. Beckey, Becki, Beckie.

      BEDELIA. Irish, ‘strength, power’. This fanciful Irish extension of Bridget is known here through the wacky Amelia Bedelia books for kids – an association your child may or may not like. Bedeelia, Biddy, Bidelia, Bridget, Delia.

      BEE. Diminutive of BEATRICE. This buzzy form is for middle name consideration only.

      BEEJA. Hindi, ‘the beginning’ or ‘happy’. Rhythmic and exotic. Beej.

      BEGONIA. Flower name. One flower name that doesn’t smell or sound sweet enough for baby name use.

      BEIGE. Colour name. Nice sound, colourless image.

      

BELA. Czech, ‘white’. Since this is strictly a male name in Slavic cultures, better to stick with the ‘Bella’ spelling here. Belah, Belalia, Biela.

      BELÉN. Spanish, ‘at Bethlehem’; Hebrew, ‘house of bread’. Popular throughout the Spanish speaking world.

      

BELIA. Spanish variation of BELLA. This is a pretty and unusual translation of Bella. Belicia, Belita.

      BELINDA. Spanish, ‘pretty one’; German, ‘serpent’. Belinda sits on the ‘Not in Current Usage’ shelf alongside cousins Linda and Melinda. Bel, Bellinda, Bellynda, Linda, Lindie, Lindy.

      BELINE. French, ‘goddess’. Possible Gallic import in the Celine mode.

      

BELLA. Diminutive of ISABELLA. Ciao, Bella. Everything ella, from Ella to Bella to Gabriella, is red hot right now, and this is one of the less overused examples, with the hint of a nice old-fashioned grandmotherly veneer. Bela, Belia, Bell, Bellette.

      BELLE. French, ‘beautiful’. Nothing but positive associations come with this name, from ‘belle of the ball’ to ‘Southern belle’ to the heroine of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Bel, Bela, Belia, Belinda, Belisse, Bell, Bellina.

      BELLEZZA. Italian, ‘beauty’. Beauty con brio italiano.

      BELOVED. Literary word name. Toni Morrison, the modern master of literary names, made this one famous as the title character of a novel. But things didn’t work out so well for that Beloved.

      BELVA. Latin, ‘beautiful