English and Scottish pet name for a number of names containing the element "-bel-" [see examples, above].

In the 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire and the 1851 Census of Rathen parish in Banffshire, Bell is recorded with significant frequency but Bel [the spelling quoted in most sources] does not occur. Bele and Belly are rare variants in the 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire. The 1851 Census for Rathen shows Bell occurring as a pet name almost always for Isabella and less frequently for Isobella.