Bella

Bella is the Italian word for beautiful, from the Latin bellus, and it is also used as a short form of longer names such as Isabella, Annabella and Arabella. The French equivalent, Belle, has a similar double life as a word and a given name. As a name Bella has been used in English since at least the nineteenth century. Notable bearers include Bella Abzug, the American lawyer and congresswoman known for her wide hats and campaigning for women’s rights. In fiction, Bella Swan is the narrator of the Twilight novels by Stephenie Meyer, and Bella Baxter is the heroine of Alasdair Gray’s novel Poor Things.