Bessie is a feminine given name, often a diminutive 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 ...

, Beatrice and other names since the 16th century. It is sometimes a name in its own right. Notable people with the name include:

People

Bessie Abott Bessie Abott (1878 – February 9, 1919) was an American operatic soprano who had an active international career during the early 20th century. She was particularly associated with the Paris Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, and excelled in perf ...

(1878–1919), American operatic soprano *

Bessie Barriscale Bessie Barriscale (born Elizabeth Mary Barriscale; June 9, 1884 – June 30, 1965) was an American actress who gained fame on the stage and in silent films. Early life Barriscale was born in New York City to Samuel Barriscale, an England-born ...

(1884–1965), American actress *

Elizabeth Blount Elizabeth Blount (// – 1540), commonly known during her lifetime as Bessie Blount, was a Mistresses of Henry VIII, mistress of Henry VIII of England. Early life Blount was the daughter of John Blount (died 1531), Sir John Blount and Kather ...

( 1498/1502 – 1540), mistress of Henry VIII of England * Bessie Braddock (1899–1970), British politician * Bessie Christie (1904–1983), New Zealand painter *

Bessie Coleman Elizabeth Coleman (January 26, 1892April 30, 1926) was an early American civil aviation, civil aviator. She was the first African-American woman and first Native Americans in the United States, Native American to hold a Pilot certification in ...

(1892–1926), American civil aviator * Annie Elizabeth Delany (1891–1995), American civil rights pioneer *

Bessie Drysdale Bessie Drysdale (''née'' Ingram Edwards, 1871–1950) was a British teacher, suffragette activist, birth control campaigner, Eugenics, eugenicist and writer. She was a member of the Women's Social and Political Union, Women’s Social and Pol ...

(1871–1950), British teacher, suffragette and birth control campaigner *

Bessie Alexander Ficklen Bessie Alexander Ficklen (, Alexander; November 10, 1861 – March 3, 1945) was an American poet and artist. Her essay on "Dream Poetry", appeared in one of the leading magazines of the 19th-century and attracted much attention. She wrote more for ...

(1861–1945), American poet and artist * Bessie Blount Griffin (1914–2009), American physical therapist, inventor, and forensic scientist *

Bessie Head Bessie Amelia Emery Head (6 July 1937 – 17 April 1986) was a South African writer who, though born in South Africa, is usually considered Botswana's most influential writer. She wrote novels, short fiction and autobiographical works that are ...

(1937–1986), South African writer *

Bessilyn Johnson Bessilyn Johnson (January 14, 1871 – April 22, 1943), known also as "Bessie" or "Mabel", was the wife of the Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson, a man who was variously the partner, friend and dupe of the famed American Old West figure De ...

(1871–1943), wife of Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson *

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned ne ...

(1898–1986), American-British actress *

Betty Mitchell (theatre director) Bessie "Betty" Mitchell (May 4, 1896 – September 10, 1976) was an American-born Canadian theatre director and educator. She was born in Sandusky, Ohio, and came to Alberta with her mother, brother and sister when she was sixteen, settling ...

(1896–1976), Canadian theatre director and educator *

Bessie Boehm Moore Bessie Grace Boehm Moore (August 2, 1902 – October 24, 1995) was an American educator from Arkansas. She was a lifelong advocate to increase funding and support for libraries and served on the Arkansas Library Commission for 38 years. In 1999, ...

(1902–1995), American educator * Diamond Bessie (1854–1877), American murder victim * Bessie Rayner Parkes (1829–1925), English feminist, women's rights activist, poet, essayist and journalist *

Bessie Leach Priddy Elizabeth "Bessie" Leach Priddy (January 18, 1871 – May 27, 1935) was an American educator, social reformer, clubwoman, and leader of the Delta Delta Delta women's fraternity. Early life Priddy was born on January 18, 1871 in Belvidere, Il ...

(1871–1935), educator, social reformer and leader of the

Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international collegiate Fraternities and sororities in North America, women's fraternity. It was founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. History File:S ...

women's fraternity *

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

(1894–1937), American blues singer *

Bessie Stringfield Bessie Stringfield (born Betsy Beatrice White; 1911 or 1912 – February 16, 1993), also known as the "Motorcycle Queen of Miami", was an American motorcyclist who was the first African-American woman to ride across the United States solo, and wa ...

(1911–1993), American motorcyclist *

Bessie Potter Vonnoh Bessie Potter Vonnoh (August 17, 1872 – March 8, 1955) was an American sculptor best known for her small bronzes, mostly of domestic scenes, and for her garden fountains. Her stated artistic objective, as she told an interviewer in 1925, was t ...

(1872–1955), American sculptor *

Bessie (South African queen) Bessie (fl. 1730s - circa 1808 in Mngazana), otherwise known as Gquma, was a South African traditional aristocrat. As the Great Wife of inkosi (paramount chief) Sango of the Tshomane, she served as a queen of the Mpondo people. Life A famous fig ...

, South African traditional aristocrat

Fictional characters

* Bessie Higgenbottom, a character in the TV animated series ''

The Mighty B! ''The Mighty B!'' (stylized in all caps) is an American animated television series created by Amy Poehler, Cynthia True, and Erik Wiese for Nickelodeon. The series centers on Bessie Higgenbottom, an ambitious Honeybee girl scout who believes ...

'' * Elizabeth Bessie Potter, a character on the TV series ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'' * Bessie, a road paving machine in the 2006 animated film ''

Cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

'' * Bessie Busybody, a character in the TV series ''

LazyTown ''LazyTown'' () is an Icelandic children's educational musical television series created by aerobics champion Magnús Scheving. Originally produced in English, it has been broadcast in dozens of languages globally. Designed to encourage health ...

'' * Bessie, a car in the TV series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

People

Fictional characters

See also