Meaning and background
The story behind Bela
Bela represents several surname traditions, and the similar-looking accented forms matter. The Dictionary of American Family Names links Hungarian Béla with a personal name of uncertain origin, allowing several possibilities. Czech Běla is connected with a feminine name meaning white, while Sorbian explanations include Abel and a word for fair or bright. A single white or gift translation would flatten the uncertainty and the separate language histories.
- Origin
- Surname spelling covering Hungarian, Czech, and Sorbian traditions; Hungarian Béla has uncertain etymology, while other accounts involve white/bright or Abel. Source
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Everyday moments“Bela, come here!”
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About Bela
Recorded as a dog’s name
Bela appears in 7 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/bɛlə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/bɛlə/ · primary stress on syllable 1B EH1 L AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.