Bess is both a surname and a feminine given name, usually the shortened form (

hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for Isabel or ''Bob (given name), Bob'' fo ...

) of

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

. Notable people with the name include:

Given name

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

(1533–1603), Queen of England, 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 Streeter Aldrich (1881–1954), American author *

Bess Armstrong Elizabeth Key "Bess" Armstrong (born December 11, 1953) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' The Four Seasons'' (1981), '' High Road to China'' (1983), ''Jaws 3-D'' (1983), and ''Nothing in Common'' (1986). Armstrong ...

(born 1953), American actress * Bess Berman (1902–1968), American record label executive *

Bess Bonnier Bess Bonnier (born 26 May 1928 in Detroit; died 6 October 2011 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan) was an American jazz pianist, composer and music educator. Life and work Bonnier, who was blind from birth, had classical piano lessons as a child. Aft ...

(1928–2011), American jazz pianist, composer, and music educator * Bess Bukodi, British professor * Bess Phipps Dawson (1916–1994), American painter * Bess Marie Eversull (1899–1978), first woman to earn a PhD in mathematics from the University of Cincinnati *

Bess Flowers Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress best known for her work as an extra in hundreds of films. She was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in more than 350 feature films and numerous ...

(1898–1984), American actress * Bess Larkin Housser Harris (1890–1969), Canadian painter * Bess Lomax Hawes (1921–2009), American folk musician, folklorist, and researcher *

Elizabeth Holland Elizabeth Holland (died 1547/8), commonly known as Bess Holland, was an English courtier. She was the mistress of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and maid-of-honour to his niece, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England. Life ...

(died 1547/8), mistress of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk *

Bess Houdini Wilhelmina Beatrice "Bess" Houdini (née Rahner; January 23, 1876 – February 11, 1943) was an American stage assistant and wife of Harry Houdini. Biography Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner was born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York (before ...

(1876–1943), stage assistant and wife of Harry Houdini * Bess Johnson (1975), American actress * Bess Meredyth (1890–1969), screenwriter and silent film actress * Bess Gearhart Morrison (1875–1968), American actress, educator, and speaker * Bess Motta (born 1958), American actress, singer, choreographer, and exercise demonstrator *

Bess Myerson Bess Myerson (July 16, 1924 – December 14, 2014) was an American politician, model, and television actress who in 1945 became the first Jewish Miss America. Her achievement, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, was seen as an affirmation of th ...

(1924–2014), first Jewish Miss America, and politician * Bess Nkabinde (born 1959), South African judge * Bess Norriss (1878–1939), Australian artist * Bess Price (born 1960), Aboriginal Australian activist and politician *

Elizabeth Raleigh Elizabeth, Lady Raleigh (''née'' Throckmorton; 16 April 1565 – c. 1647), was an English courtier, a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth I of England. Her secret marriage to Sir Walter Raleigh precipitated a long period of ...

(1565–1647), wife of Sir Walter Raleigh * Bess Rogers, American indie rock musician * Bess Whitehead Scott (1890–1997), American journalist * Bess Stinson (1902–1996), American politician * 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 Elizabeth Virginia Truman (; February 13, 1885October 18, 1982) was First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953 as the wife of President Harry S. Truman. She had previously served as Second Lady of the United States from January to April ...

(1885–1982), wife of President Harry S. Truman * Bess Bolden Walcott (1886–1988), African-American educator, librarian, museum curator, and activist

Surname

* Brandon Bess (born 1987), West Indies Test cricketer * Calvin Bess, Bishop of Trinidad and Tobago *

Daniel Bess Daniel Luke Bess (born October 8, 1977) is an American television and film actor. Bess was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and attended both high school and a school of the arts while living on the island. He later acted in New York theater before mov ...

, (born 1977), American television and film actor * Davone Bess (born 1985), National Football League wide receiver *

Dom Bess Dominic Mark Bess (born 22 July 1997) is an English professional cricketer who has played internationally for the England Test cricket team. In domestic cricket, he represents Yorkshire, having previously played for Somerset. Bess made his Test ...

(born 1997), England cricketer * Georges Bess (born 1947), French comics artist * Lane Bess (born 1961), American venture capitalist * Rachel Bess (born ), American painter * Robert T. Bess (1889–after 1958), British Guiana-born American stockbroker and civil rights activist *

Rufus Bess Rufus T. Bess Jr. (born September 13, 1956) is a former professional American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at South Carolina ...

(born 1956), former National Football League cornerback

Fictional characters

* Bess, in the opera ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' ( ) is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy (play), ...

'' * Bess, an alternate personality of Jessica Buchanan in the American soap opera ''One Life to Live'' * Bess Lindstrom, in the television series ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' * Bess Marvin, one of

Nancy Drew Nancy Drew is a fictional character appearing in several mystery book series, movies, video games, and TV shows as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwriter, ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudo ...

's closest friends * Elizabeth "Bess" McCord, protagonist of the American drama series '' Madam Secretary''

Given name

Surname

Fictional characters

See also