Bessie

Bessie is a feminine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of 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 (1878–1919), American operatic soprano
 * Bessie Barriscale (1884–1965), American actress
 * Elizabeth Blount (c.  1498/1502 – c. 1540), mistress of Henry VIII of England
 * Bessie Braddock (1899–1970), British politician
 * Bessie Christie (1904–1983), New Zealand painter
 * Bessie Coleman (1892–1926), American civil aviator
 * Annie Elizabeth Delany (1891–1995), American civil rights pioneer
 * Bessie Alexander Ficklen (1861–1945), American poet and artist
 * Bessie Blount Griffin (1914–2009), American physical therapist, inventor, and forensic scientist
 * Bessie Head (1937–1986), South African writer
 * Bessilyn Johnson (1871–1943), wife of Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson
 * Bessie Love (1898–1986), American-British actress
 * Betty Mitchell (theatre director) (1896–1976), Canadian theatre director and educator
 * Bessie Boehm Moore (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 Smith (1894–1937), American blues singer
 * Bessie Stringfield (1911–1993), American motorcyclist
 * Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872–1955), American sculptor
 * Bessie (South African queen), South African traditional aristocrat

Fictional characters

 * Bessie Higgenbottom, a character in the TV animated series The Mighty B!
 * Elizabeth Bessie Potter, a character on the TV series Dawson's Creek
 * Bessie, a road paving machine in the 2006 animated film Cars
 * Bessie Busybody, a character in the TV series LazyTown
 * Bessie, a car in the TV series Doctor Who