Baila, Bayla, Beyle

• Origin: Yiddish ביילע
• Meaning: “white;” or “beautiful.”
• Gender: Female
• Variant transcriptions: Beyla, Bejla (Polish)
• Pron: BAY-lah

This name has a complicated and interesting history. It was likely originally derived from the Italian Bella and the Spanish Bela (beautiful), which was used among Sephardic and Italian Jews, and later German Jews during the Middle Ages. From Germany, the name was brought into Eastern Europe, where it was possibly conflated with the already-existing Slavic name Běla meaning “white,” which had been in use among the older Knaanic, or Czech Jewish, community.

The name was also associated with the Yiddish Shayna, meaning “beautiful,” presumably because of the similar meaning of Bella. It was later associated with the Hebrew female name Bilhah, the name of Rachel’s handmaid and Jacob’s concubine in the Old Testament.

Beyle and its numerous variants became very common among Ashkenazi Jews, particularly in Eastern Europe. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, immigrants to English-speaking countries often anglicized the name to Belle or Bella.

Variations

• Baltsche, Beylka, Beylke, originally used as diminutives but later used as independent names in their own right.

Sources

• Beider, Alexander. Handbook of Ashkenazic Given Names and Their Variants. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2009.
• https://www.behindthename.com/name/beyle