Bess’s Notebook: Personalized Journal for Bess
Bess's Notebook puts her name front and center, written in flowing script across a soft watercolor apple blossom design.
- 160 lined pages
- 6" x 9" paperback
- Watercolor apple blossom cover with "Bess's Notebook" on the front
- Printed and shipped by Amazon
Bess: meaning and origin
Bess is a diminutive of Elizabeth, says Behind the Name. Elizabeth comes from the Greek Elisabet, from the Hebrew Elisheva, “my God is an oath.” Behind the Name notes that Queen Elizabeth I of England was known as Good Queen Bess, and Wikipedia’s list of Besses opens with her.
Nicknames and variants
Behind the Name lists Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Isabel and Isabella among the full forms behind Bess. Bessie, Betsy, Beth and Betty are sister nicknames from Elizabeth. Bess is the crisp, single-syllable option of the set.
Famous people named Bess
Bess Truman, born Elizabeth Virginia Wallace on February 13, 1885, in Independence, Missouri, was first lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953 as the wife of President Harry S. Truman. Wikipedia says she had known Harry since childhood, kept her Independence home all her life and avoided publicity as first lady. At 97 years and 247 days she was the longest-lived first and second spouse.
Is Bess a popular name?
Bess was 175th in the 1880s in the Social Security decade tables, with about 1,100 American girls. Behind the Name’s US chart puts its best year at 157th in 1887 and shows it last in the top 1,000 in 1927. It has not returned since, which makes Bess a rare find on a modern birth certificate.
Bess trivia
Good Queen Bess is the most famous Bess of all. Behind the Name says Elizabeth I was known by that nickname in the 16th century, and Wikipedia lists her (1533 to 1603) right beside Bess of Hardwick (1527 to 1608), so two of the earliest famous Besses were Tudor contemporaries.
Gift ideas that suit a Bess
- For a history buff. A notebook for Tudor queens and first ladies.
- For a homebody. A journal for recipes, gardens and family news.
- For Presidents’ Day. A diary for White House history and road trips to Missouri.
- For Christmas. A timeless holiday journal for Bess.
How Bess can use it
Any Bess, of any age. The 6" x 9" size is roomy enough for proper writing and small enough for a handbag or school bag. With 160 plain lined pages there’s no fixed layout, so it can be a diary, a gratitude journal, a study notebook, a recipe book or a home for to-do lists. Notebooks tend to multiply in drawers, but one with her name on the front is instantly hers.
The little things that make it hers
There’s something about seeing your own name in print. It makes a notebook feel like it belongs to you, which is a good reason to fill it. It also means Bess can pick hers out of a pile in a second, at school, at work or on the kitchen counter.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Bess’s Notebook? About the size of a trade paperback book: 6 x 9 inches (15.2 x 22.9 cm), 160 lined pages.
Where do I buy it? It’s sold on Amazon in the US, Australia and the UK. Amazon prints and ships each copy and handles delivery and returns.
Do you have other names? Yes, the same apple blossom design comes in hundreds of girls’ names. Start at all name notebooks or our personalized name notebooks guide.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Bess's Notebook is published by Black Stag Publishing.