Bebe belongs with Cece and Gigi and Coco. But despite a similar style, this one seems rarer than similar choices.
Could it be that the names that lead to Bebe – or Bibi – aren’t as appealing? Or maybe there just aren’t as many possibilities compared to Colette and Cordelia, Georgia and Genevieve, Cecilia and Celeste.
But getting to Bebe is easier than it seems at first glance. Here are my favorite suggestions.
Traditional Picks
Barbara – A Top Ten staple from the 1920s through the 1950s, today, Barbara fits in the young grandmother category. And yet, it’s an ancient name, worn by the patron saint of architects and masons. Barbie is a doll, but Bebe is a stylish update for this classic possibility.
Bathsheba – In the Old Testament, David fell for Bathsheba when she was still married. Much drama ensued. Perhaps that’s why parents have avoided the name, though it’s really quite pretty.
Beatrice, Beatrix – Could there be a more current name? Stylish parents have embraced this choice – smart, spunky, and until recently, little used. Beatrice was given name of actress Bebe Neuwirth, of Cheers and Frasier fame.
Bernadette – A B name making a comeback, Bernadette has the B sound required to make this nickname wear well.
Bianca – From Shakespeare to the adventurous mouse in Disney’s The Adventurers, Bianca is a daring name, one that leads logically to Bebe. It’s also the given name of Bianca Andreescu, the young tennis star.
Rebecca – Does this seem like a stretch? If Becca, Becky, and Bex are go-to short forms, the letter B is big for this starts-with-R appellation, and Bebe might work just fine.
Roberta – Yes, you could call her Bobbie. But somehow Bebe feels like a fresh, unexpected option, too.
Unconventional Options
Bebelle – Designer and television host Genevieve Gorder gave this unusual name to her daughter. It may have come from a short story by Charles Dickens; in “Somebody’s Luggage,” we learn it is short for Gabrielle.
Bellamy – A fast-rising favorite for girls, this surname name could shorten to Bella or Belle, or even Amy. But the strong B sound means Bebe might be another one to consider.
Belphoebe – Strictly speaking, this combination of belle – beautiful – and Phoebe was invented by Edmund Spenser for The Faerie Queen, dating the name to the late 1500s. But it’s never been used as a given name, so I’m filing it with the modern discoveries.
Bluebell – Belle names are big, and Beyonce’s Blue put the color name in the spotlight. Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has a Bluebell, but the name has yet to catch on. The repeating Bs make it a natural fit for this list.
Foreign Imports
Birgitta, Birgit, Birgid, Birgitte – Of course, you might shorten Bridget to Bebe. But these imports work every bit as well – maybe even better. Celebrated Swedish actress Bibi Andersson was born Berit – yet another related form of the name.
Bibiana – A form of Vivian, Bibiana sounds quite lovely. But it might be a recipe for years of “No, not Viviana. Bibiana, with a B. Let me spell it for you.”
What do you think of Bebe? Do you like names with repeating sounds like Lulu and Gigi? Which long form would you use for a daughter?
I’ve been majorly name crushing on Bathsheba- in Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd there is a character named Bathsheba Everdene and it’s just swoon worthy
If we ever have a girl she’ll be Beatrix with a Be last name. I know we’ll call her Bebe pretty often, even though I don’t love it that much. I always think of the rich girl from Doug. I think it’s cute as a casual nickname but not something to go by all the time.
As a kid I was called BB, or Bebe, for my repeating initials. Lately though, my best friend and the one who called me BB, has taken to calling me Bee as a shortened form.
If I ever use a B name for a girl she’ll be nicknamed Bonnie before anything else 🙂
I adore repeating sounds and have a Fifi of my own. She goes by Josie more often but Fifi comes out often.
Bebe was one of my Great Cousins. Her surname was Beebee, and well, Bebe stuck apparently when she was very small, I knew her in her 80’s & 90’s, so it had been worn by her for some time by then.
I do adore Beatrix and Bluebell. Beatrix for me would be my beloved Trixie before Bebe, but it might be occasional. 😀 Maybe Bebe could be for B.B. initials too? Belinda Blubell, aka Bebe would be adorable!
@Lola – I do like nicknames from initials! Not sure what I’d use for BB, though …
BB = Big Boobed. I don’t think I would need to further highlight their genetics by using this nickname for my kids. It might take me a bit aback if I heard this nickname on a real kid. That being said, I think Bea is an adorable name and I don’t immediately think BB.
My Annabel, who is two, has begun to call herself Bebe occasionally. I never thought of it as a nickname for Annabel, but I suppose it works. The husband nicknamed her Bell when she was a baby, and I call her Anna Bluebell quite a bit for the color of her eyes. I must say, Bebe fits her spunky personality, but I hope she sticks mostly with Annabel.
I suspect a big part of the problem with Bebe is its connotation of “Baby” (as in the translation from French). To me it borders on the dangerously diminutive, like Sweetie or Honey. An endearment, perhaps. A name? Not quite.
In Spanish, also.
That makes sense … and it does make her less wearable than Coco & co.
I rarely ever use children’s real names when I blog about them, so I gave them all nicknames. My baby sister got Bebe not because of any relation to her name, but because bebe means baby in French. And she’s the baby of the family. Ever since calling her that on internet I love Bebe! Some people who read my blog actually it was her name so she gets called that sometimes. 🙂
I adore many of the repeating sound names, especially Gigi, Lulu, and Bebe. I would absolutely use any of them, with the right long form. As far as Bebe goes I love Bianca and Bluebell as long form potentials. Other possibilities I like are Belladonna, Benevolence, and Beryl. However, my favorite is the name Bonnibelle, for which I also love the nickname Bonny. I adore this name.
Instead of Bee-bee, I hear the French Bay-bay (or b-bay). Which makes it work better for Bayard, Bailey, and Babette.
My mother’s middle name is Bibiana and when she was little my grandmother called her Bibi. The name doesn’t really fit my mother but on the right person I think it would be cute. 🙂
I’d suggest Biana. I hear it every Saturday on Good Morning America (Biana Golodryga is one of the weekend anchors). I think it’s a shortened form of Bibiana. It’s a spunky name and kind of pretty.
While I understand the appeal, I can’t quite get past the “cutesy” feel of Lulu, Coco and Bebe. It’s a great option for someone else’s child.
I do like the Cocos and the Lulus but Bebe — I just think of that tacky clothing chain.
Hey! While I agree that the diamante sparkling bebe logo they put on a lot of their clothes is pretty dreadful, I do happen to be fond of my one article of clothing from the chain — a sleek, logo-free, diamante-free blue blouse.
However, I agree that the name Bebe makes me think of the clothing chain.
Benjamina is a clunky guilty pleasure of mine I can never use.
Possibly influenced by male Benjamin/Benyamins who go by Bibi, it seems plausible enough to me. There’s a long ee sound in it that makes the Bebe sound work for me. And it’s far more interesting (to me, anyway) than Mina, to hang out on the playground with all the other Minas, Millas, Mias, and Maias.
Bebe is maybe a little bit cutesy-poo, but its hardly over-saturated the playground. I just wouldn’t use it as a full name.
But since I can’t have Benjamina, we go back to the Beatrice/Beatrix thing. Husband is firmly Team Beatrix, and I’m slowly coming around on it, but Beatrice was my first fave.
Bryony I could see being Bebe for some reason?
I do love Belphoebe, hypothetically, but that is squarely in only-a-middle-name-if-at-all for me, I think.
Benjamina/Benjamine is a great addition to the list – clunky but it works!