Bess (name)

Look up Bess in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Bess is both a surname and a feminine given name (usually as the shortened Hypocorism form of Elizabeth). Notable people with the name include:

Given name[]

• Elizabeth I (1533-1603), also known as "Good Queen Bess"
• Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608), daughter of John Hardwick of Hardwicke
• Elizabeth Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1759-1824), early female novelist
• Bess Armstrong (born 1953), American actress
• Elizabeth Austin (disambiguation), several people
• Bess Berman (1902-1968), American record label executive
• Bess Bolden Walcott (1886-1988), African American educator, librarian, museum curator, and activist
• Bess Bonnier (1928-2011), American jazz pianist, composer, and music educator
• Bess Bukodi, British professor
• Elizabeth Davies (disambiguation), several people
• Elizabeth Davis (disambiguation), several people
• Bess Flowers (1898-1984), American actress
• Bess Gearhart Morrison (1875-1968), American actress, educator, and speaker
• Elizabeth Holland (died 1547/8), mistress of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
• Bess Houdini (1876-1943), stage assistant and wife of Harry Houdini
• Bess Johnson (c. 1902-1975), American actress
• Bess Larkin Housser Harris (1890-1969), Canadian painter
• Bess Lomax Hawes (1921-2009), American folk musician, folklorist, and researcher
• Bess Meredyth (1890-1969), screenwriter and silent film actress
• Bess Motta (born 1958), American actress, singer, choreographer, and exercise demonstrator
• Bess Myerson (1924-2014), first Jewish Miss America, and politician
• Bess Nkabinde (born 1959), South African judge
• Bess Norriss (1878-1939), Australian artist
• Bess Phipps Dawson (1916-1994), American painter
• Bess Price (born 1960), Aboriginal Australian activist and politician
• Elizabeth Raleigh (1565-1647), wife of Sir Walter Raleigh
• Bess Rogers, American indie rock musician
• Bess Stinson (1902-1996), Arizona state legislator
• Bess Streeter Aldrich (1881-1954), American author
• Bess Taffel (1913-2000), American screenwriter
• Bess Thomas (1892-1968), Australian librarian
• Bess Truitt (1884-1972), Oklahoma Poet Laureate from 1945 to 1946
• Bess Truman (1885-1982), wife of President Harry S. Truman
• Elizabeth Walker (disambiguation), several people
• Bess Whitehead Scott (1890-1997), journalist

Surname[]

• Brandon Bess (born 1987), West Indies Test cricketer
• Calvin Bess, Bishop of Trinidad and Tobago
• Daniel Bess, (born 1977), American television and film actor
• Davone Bess (born 1985), National Football League wide receiver
• Dominic Bess (born 1997), England cricketer
• Georges Bess (born 1947), French comics artist
• Rachel Bess (born c. 1979), American painter
• Rufus Bess (born 1956), former National Football League cornerback

Fictional characters[]

• Bess, in the opera Porgy and Bess
• Bess Marvin, one of Nancy Drew's closest friends
• Bess, an alternate personality of Jessica Buchanan in the American soap opera One Life to Live
• Elizabeth "Bess" McCord, protagonist of the American drama series Madam Secretary

See also[]

• Bessie

Name list

This page or section lists people that share the same given name or the same family name.
If an led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.