Béla (given name)

Béla (Slavic variants are Bela or Belo) is a common Hungarian male given name. Its most likely etymology is from old Hungarian bél ("heart; insides" in Old Hungarian and "intestines" in modern Hungarian; in both the symbolism is "guts" i.e. bravery and character). Other possible etymological source is a Turkic word boila/boyla – "noble, distinguished" (which was a title of high nobility among the Bulgars and Göktürks), or a variant of Ábel.

Due to the fame and importance of Saint Adalbert of Prague (~956–997) for early mediaeval Hungarian, Czech and Polish cultural history, the name Béla has been artificially assigned to the Germanic name Adalbert ("noble bright") and the Slavonic name Vojtěch/Wojciech ("consolator of troops"), although there is no linguistic relationship among these names.

People

 * Béla of Hungary
 * Béla I of Hungary (1020–1063), King of Hungary
 * Béla II of Hungary (1109–1141), King of Hungary and Croatia
 * Béla III of Hungary (1148–1196), King of Hungary and Croatia
 * Béla IV of Hungary (1206–1270), King of Hungary and Croatia
 * Béla V of Hungary (Otto III of Bavaria; 1261–1312), Duke of Lower Bavaria and King of Hungary and Croatia
 * Béla of Macsó (1243–1272), Duke of Macsó and Bosnia
 * Bela of Saint Omer (died 1258), French knight, Lord of one half of Thebes
 * Bela of Britonia, Galician clergyman, Bishop of Britonia
 * Béla Nagy Abodi (1918–2012), Hungarian painter
 * Béla Apáti Abkarovics (1888–1957), Hungarian painter and graphic artist
 * Béla Bacsó (disambiguation)
 * Béla Bacsó (1891–1920) Hungarian journalist and writer
 * Béla Bacsó (1952) aesthete
 * Béla Bácskai (1912–1994), Hungarian field hockey player
 * Béla Bakosi (born 1957), Hungarian triple jumper
 * Béla Balázs (1884–1949), Hungarian film critic, writer and poet
 * Béla Balogh (1885–1945), Hungarian film director
 * Béla Balogh (born 1984), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Bánáthy (disambiguation)
 * Béla H. Bánáthy (1919–2003), American linguist and systems scientist
 * Béla A. Bánáthy (born 1943), American systems scientist
 * Béla Bánhidy (1836–1890), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Barabás (1855–1934), Hungarian politician, jurist and author
 * Béla Barényi (1907–1997), Hungarian-Austrian engineer
 * Béla Bartalos (born 1948), Hungarian handball player
 * Béla Bartók (1881–1945), Hungarian composer and pianist
 * Béla Bay (1907–1999), Hungarian fencer
 * Béla Békessy (1875–1916), Hungarian fencer
 * Béla Belicza, Hungarian sprint canoer
 * Béla Berger (1931–2005), Hungarian-Australian chess player
 * Béla Bicsérdy (1872–1951), Hungarian alternative medicine advocate, lecturer and author
 * Béla Biszku (1921–2016), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Bodó (born 1959), Hungarian hurdler
 * Béla Bodonyi (born 1956), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Bollobás (born 1943), Hungarian-British mathematician
 * Bela Borsodi, Austrian photographer
 * Béla Bugár (born 1958), Slovak politician
 * Bela Čikoš Sesija (1864–1931), Croatian painter
 * Béla Csécsei (1952–2012), Hungarian educator and politician
 * Béla Czóbel (1883–1976), Hungarian painter
 * Béla Dankó (born 1969), Hungarian politician
 * Béla von Darányi (1874–?), Hungarian sports shooter
 * Béla Drahos (born 1955), Hungarian conductor and flautist
 * Béla Egresi (1922–1999), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Ernyey (born 1942), Hungarian actor
 * Béla Fleck (born 1958), American banjo player
 * Béla Gaál (1893–1945), Hungarian film director
 * Béla Glattfelder (born 1967), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Goldoványi (1925–1972), Hungarian sprinter
 * Béla Grunberger (1903–2005), French psychologist
 * Béla Guttmann (1899–1981), Hungarian footballer and coach
 * Béla Gyarmati (born 1942), Hungarian fencer
 * Béla Hamvas (1897–1968), Hungarian writer, philosopher, and social critic
 * Béla Háray (1915–1988), Hungarian ice hockey and field hockey player
 * Béla Hatvany (born 1938), American computer scientist, inventor and entrepreneur
 * Bela S. Huntington (1858–1934), American lawyer and politician
 * Béla Illés (1895–1974), Hungarian writer and journalist
 * Béla Illés (born 1968), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Imrédy (1891–1946), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Ivády (1873–1962), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Iványi-Grünwald (1867–1940), Hungarian painter
 * Béla Jankovich (1865–1939), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Tibor Jeszenszky (1962–2008), Hungarian singer
 * Béla Juhász (1921–2002), Hungarian long-distance runner
 * Béla Julesz (1928–2003), Hungarian neuroscientist
 * Béla Jurcsek (1893–1945), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Kádár (1877–1956), Hungarian painter
 * Béla Károlyi (born 1942), Romanian gymnastics coach
 * Béla Kárpáti (1929–2003), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Katona (born 1944), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Katzirz (born 1953), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla von Kehrling (1891–1937), Hungarian tennis, table tennis, football and ice-hockey player and bobsledder
 * Béla Kéler (1820–1882), Hungarian composer and conductor
 * Béla Kerékjártó (1898–1946), Hungarian mathematician
 * Béla Király (1912–2009), Hungarian military officer, politician and historian
 * Béla Kiss (1877–?), Hungarian serial killer
 * Béla Komjádi (1892–1933, Hungarian water polo player and coach
 * Béla Kondor (1931–1972), Hungarian artist and author
 * Béla Kontuly (1904–1983), Hungarian painter and art teacher
 * Béla Köpeczi (1921–2010), Hungarian cultural historian and politician
 * Béla Koplárovics (born 1981), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Kovács (disambiguation)
 * Béla Kovács (1910–1980), Hungarian politician and jurist
 * Béla Kovács (1908–1959), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Kovács (1937–2021), Hungarian clarinetist
 * Béla Kovács (born 1960), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Kovács (born 1977), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Kuharszki (1940–2016), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Kun (1886–1937?), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Lajta (1873–1920), Hungarian architect
 * Béla Lakatos (born 1984), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Linder (1876–1962), Hungarian military officer and politician
 * Béla Lugosi (1882–1956), Hungarian-American actor
 * Bela Lugosi, Jr. (born 1938), American lawyer
 * Béla Macourek (1889–?), Hungarian flying ace
 * Béla Magyari (1949–2018), Hungarian military officer and aerospace engineer
 * Béla Markó (born 1951), Romanian politician
 * Béla Mavrák (born 1966), Hungarian tenor singer
 * Béla Mező (1883–1954), Hungarian sprinter and long jumper
 * Béla Mezőssy (1870–1939), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Mikla (1921–?), Hungarian fencer
 * Béla Miklós (1890–1948), Hungarian military officer and politician
 * Béla Molnar (1951–2020), American educator
 * Bela De Nagy (1893–1945), American fencer
 * Béla Orczy (1822–1917), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Ormos (1899–1945), Hungarian actor
 * Béla Pálfi (1923–1995), Serbian footballer
 * Béla Pállik (1845–1908), Hungarian artist, opera singer and theater director
 * Bela Papp (born 1994), Finnish figure skater
 * Béla Pásztor (born 1938), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Perczel (1819–1888), Hungarian politician and jurist
 * Béla Perényi (1953–1988), Hungarian chess master
 * Béla Petrovics, Hungarian sprint canoer
 * Bela Pratt (1867–1917), American sculptor
 * Béla Rajki (1909–2000), Hungarian swimming and water polo coach
 * Béla Rerrich (1917–2005), Hungarian fencer
 * Béla Réthy (born 1956), German sports reporter
 * Béla Sárosi (1919–1993), Hungarian football player and manager
 * Béla Schwalm (born 1941), Hungarian ice hockey player
 * Béla Scitovszky (1878–1959), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Sebestyén (1885–1959), Hungarian footballer
 * Bela Šefer, Yugoslav footballer
 * Béla Serényi (1866–1919), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Síki (1923–2020), Hungarian pianist
 * Béla Simon (born 1988), Hungarian rower
 * Béla Spányi (1852–1914), Hungarian painter
 * Béla Szabados (disambiguation)
 * Béla Szabados (1867–1936), Hungarian composer
 * Béla Szabados (born 1974), Hungarian Olympic swimmer
 * Béla Szántó (1881–1951), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Szászy (1865–1931), Hungarian politician and jurist
 * Béla Székely (1889–1939), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Szekeres (disambiguation)
 * Béla Szekeres (born 1933), Hungarian cyclist
 * Béla Szekeres (1938–2000), Hungarian runner
 * Béla Székula (1881–1966), Hungarian philatelist and forger
 * Béla Szende (1823–1882), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Szepes (1903–1986), Hungarian skier, athlete, graphic designer and journalist
 * Béla Szőkefalvi-Nagy (1913–1998), Hungarian mathematician
 * Béla Szombati (born 1955), Hungarian diplomat
 * Béla Tallián (1851–1921), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Tarr (born 1955), Hungarian film director
 * Béla Tomka (born 1962), Hungarian historian
 * Béla Turi-Kovács, (born 1935), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Vágó (1881–1939), Hungarian politician
 * Béla Várady (1953–2014), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Varga (disambiguation)
 * Béla Varga (1888–1969), Hungarian wrestler
 * Béla Varga (1903–1995), Hungarian politician and priest
 * Béla Virág (born 1976), Hungarian footballer
 * Béla Volentik (1907–1990), Hungarian football player and manager
 * Béla Vörösmarty (1844–1904), Hungarian jurist and politician
 * Béla Wenckheim (1811–1879), Hungarian politician
 * Bela Zaboly (1910–1985), American cartoonist
 * Béla Zoltán (1865–1929), Hungarian politician and jurist
 * Béla Zsedényi (1894–1955), Hungarian jurist and politician
 * Béla Zsitkovszky (1867–1930), Hungarian cinematographer and film director
 * Béla Zsitnik (1924–2019), Hungarian rower
 * Béla Zsolt (1895–1949), Hungarian author
 * Béla Zulawszky (1869–1914), Hungarian fencer