Béla (given name)

Béla (Magyar /belɒ/, English /beɪlə/ "BAY-luh") is a common Hungarian male given name. Its most likely etymology is from old Hungarian bél ('heart; insides' in Old Hungarian and 'intestines' in modern Hungarian; in both the symbolism is 'guts' i.e. bravery and character). Other possible sources are a Turkic word meaning 'distinguished' and the Slavic word for 'white'. While Hungarian Vilmos is literally 'William, Wilhelm,' sometimes Béla is anglicized as William due to the phonetic similarity between its reduced form, Bill, and Béla. Conversely, English William can be magyarized to Béla. Béla is (historically) synonymous with the name "Adalbert" (and its various forms) in German.

Notable Bélas include:

• Béla of Hungary
  • Béla I of Hungary (1020–1063), King of Hungary
  • Béla II of Hungary (1109–1141), King of Hungary and Croatia
  • Béla III of Hungary (1148–1196), King of Hungary and Croatia
  • Béla IV of Hungary (1206–1270), King of Hungary and Croatia
  • Béla V of Hungary (Otto III of Bavaria; 1261–1312), Duke of Lower Bavaria and King of Hungary and Croatia
• Béla of Macsó (1243–1272), Duke of Macsó and Bosnia
• Bela of Saint Omer (?–1258), French knight, Lord of one half of Thebes
• Bela of Britonia (fl. 675), Galician clergyman, Bishop of Britonia
• Béla Nagy Abodi (1918–2012), Hungarian painter
• Béla Apáti Abkarovics (1888–1957), Hungarian painter and graphic artist
• Bela Ewald Althans (born 1966), German neo-Nazi activist
• Béla Bacsó (disambiguation)
  • Béla Bacsó (1891–1920) Hungarian journalist and writer
  • Béla Bacsó (1952) aesthete
• Béla Bácskai (1912–1994), Hungarian field hockey player
• Béla Bakosi (born 1957), Hungarian triple jumper
• Béla Balázs (1884–1949), Hungarian film critic, writer and poet
• Béla Balogh (1885–1945), Hungarian film director
• Béla Balogh (born 1984), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Bánáthy (disambiguation)
  • Béla H. Bánáthy (1919–2003), American linguist and systems scientist
  • Béla A. Bánáthy (born 1943), American systems scientist
• Béla Bánhidy (1836–1890), Hungarian politician
• Béla Barabás (1855–1934), Hungarian politician, jurist and author
• Béla Barényi (1907–1997), Hungarian-Austrian engineer
• Béla Bartalos (born 1948), Hungarian handball player
• Béla Bartók (1881–1945), Hungarian composer and pianist
• Béla Bay (1907–1999), Hungarian fencer
• Béla Békessy (1875–1916), Hungarian fencer
• Béla Belicza, Hungarian sprint canoer
• Béla Berger (1931–2005), Hungarian-Australian chess player
• Béla Bicsérdy (1872–1951), Hungarian alternative medicine advocate, lecturer and author
• Béla Biszku (born 1921), Hungarian politician
• Béla Bodó (born 1959), Hungarian hurdler
• Béla Bodonyi (born 1956), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Bollobás (born 1943), Hungarian-British mathematician
• Bela Borsodi, Austrian photographer
• Béla Bugár (born 1958), Slovak politician
• Bela Čikoš Sesija (1864–1931), Croatian painter
• Béla Csécsei (1952–2012), Hungarian educator and politician
• Béla Czóbel (1883–1976), Hungarian painter
• Béla Dankó (born 1969), Hungarian politician
• Béla von Darányi (1874–?), Hungarian sports shooter
• Béla Drahos (born 1955), Hungarian conductor and flautist
• Béla Egresi (1922–1999), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Ernyey (born 1942), Hungarian actor
• Béla Fleck (born 1958), American banjo player
• Béla Gaál (1893–1945), Hungarian film director
• Béla Glattfelder (born 1967), Hungarian politician
• Béla Goldoványi (1925–1972), Hungarian sprinter
• Béla Grunberger (1903–2005), French psychologist
• Béla Guttmann (1899–1981), Hungarian footballer and coach
• Béla Gyarmati (born 1942), Hungarian fencer
• Béla Hamvas (1897–1968), Hungarian writer, philosopher, and social critic
• Béla Háray (1915–1988), Hungarian ice hockey and field hockey player
• Béla Hatvany (born 1938), American computer scientist, inventor and entrepreneur
• Bela S. Huntington (1858–1934), American lawyer and politician
• Béla Illés (1895–1974), Hungarian writer and journalist
• Béla Illés (born 1968), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Imrédy (1891–1946), Hungarian politician
• Béla Ivády (1873–1962), Hungarian politician
• Béla Iványi-Grünwald (1867–1940), Hungarian painter
• Béla Jankovich (1865–1939), Hungarian politician
• Béla Tibor Jeszenszky (1962–2008), Hungarian singer
• Béla Juhász (1921–2002), Hungarian long-distance runner
• Béla Julesz (1928–2003), Hungarian neuroscientist
• Béla Jurcsek (1893–1945), Hungarian politician
• Béla Kádár (1877–1956), Hungarian painter
• Béla Károlyi (born 1942), Romanian gymnastics coach
• Béla Kárpáti (1929–2003), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Katona (born 1944), Hungarian politician
• Béla Katzirz (born 1953), Hungarian footballer
• Béla von Kehrling (1891–1937), Hungarian tennis, table tennis, football and ice-hockey player and bobsledder
• Béla Kéler (1820–1882), Hungarian composer and conductor
• Béla Kerékjártó (1898–1946), Hungarian mathematician
• Béla Király (1912–2009), Hungarian military officer, politician and historian
• Béla Kiss (1877–?), Hungarian serial killer
• Béla Komjádi (1892–1933, Hungarian water polo player and coach
• Béla Kondor (1931–1972), Hungarian artist and author
• Béla Kontuly (1904–1983), Hungarian painter and art teacher
• Béla Köpeczi (1921–2010), Hungarian cultural historian and politician
• Béla Koplárovics (born 1981), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Kovács (disambiguation)
  • Béla Kovács (1910–1980), Hungarian politician and jurist
  • Béla Kovács (1908–1959), Hungarian politician
  • Béla Kovács (born 1937), Hungarian clarinetist
  • Béla Kovács (born 1960), Hungarian politician
  • Béla Kovács (born 1977), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Kuharszki (born 1940), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Kun (1886–1937?), Hungarian politician
• Béla Lajta (1873–1920), Hungarian architect
• Béla Lakatos (born 1984), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Linder (1876–1962), Hungarian military officer and politician
• Béla Lugosi (1882–1956), Hungarian-American actor
• Bela Lugosi, Jr. (born 1938), American lawyer
• Béla Macourek (1889–?), Hungarian flying ace
• Béla Magyari (born 1949), Hungarian military officer and aerospace engineer
• Béla Markó (born 1951), Romanian politician
• Béla Mavrák (born 1966), Hungarian tenor singer
• Béla Mező (1883–1954), Hungarian sprinter and long jumper
• Béla Mezőssy (1870–1939), Hungarian politician
• Béla Mikla (1921–?), Hungarian fencer
• Béla Miklós (1890–1948), Hungarian military officer and politician
• Bela De Nagy (1893–1945), American fencer
• Béla Orczy (1822–1917), Hungarian politician
• Béla Pálfi (1923–1995), Serbian footballer
• Béla Pállik (1845–1908), Hungarian artist, opera singer and theater director
• Bela Papp (born 1994), Finnish figure skater
• Béla Pásztor (born 1938), Hungarian politician
• Béla Perczel (1819–1888), Hungarian politician and jurist
• Béla Petrovics, Hungarian sprint canoer
• Bela Pratt (1867–1917), American sculptor
• Béla Rajki (1909–2000), Hungarian swimming and water polo coach
• Béla Rerrich (1917–2005), Hungarian fencer
• Béla Réthy (born 1956), German sports reporter
• Béla Sárosi (1919–1993), Hungarian football player and manager
• Béla Schwalm (born 1941), Hungarian ice hockey player
• Béla Scitovszky (1878–1959), Hungarian politician
• Béla Sebestyén (1885–1959), Hungarian footballer
• Bela Šefer (fl. 1924), Yugoslav footballer
• Béla Serényi (1866–1919), Hungarian politician
• Béla Síki (born 1923), Hungarian pianist
• Béla Simon (born 1988), Hungarian rower
• Béla Spányi (1852–1914), Hungarian painter
• Béla Szabados (born 1942 in Transylvania, Hungary), Canadian philosopher and writer.
• Béla Szabados (disambiguation)
  • Béla Szabados (1867–1936), Hungarian composer
  • Béla Szabados (born 1974), Hungarian Olympic swimmer
• Béla Szántó (1881–1951), Hungarian politician
• Béla Szászy (1865–1931), Hungarian politician and jurist
• Béla Székely (1889–1939), Hungarian politician
• Béla Szekeres (disambiguation)
  • Béla Szekeres (born 1933), Hungarian cyclist
  • Béla Szekeres (1938-2000), Hungarian runner
• Béla Székula (1881–1966), Hungarian philatelist and forger
• Béla Szende (1823–1882), Hungarian politician
• Béla Szepes (1903–1986), Hungarian skier, athlete, graphic designer and journalist
• Béla Szőkefalvi-Nagy (1913–1998), Hungarian mathematician
• Béla Szombati (born 1955), Hungarian diplomat
• Béla Tallián (1851–1921), Hungarian politician
• Béla Tarr (born 1955), Hungarian film director
• Béla Tomka (born 1962), Hungarian historian
• Béla Turi-Kovács, (born 1935), Hungarian politician
• Béla Vágó (1881–1939), Hungarian politician
• Béla Várady (1953–2014), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Varga (disambiguation)
  • Béla Varga (1888–1969), Hungarian wrestler
  • Béla Varga (1903–1995), Hungarian politician and priest
• Béla Virág (born 1976), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Volentik (1907–1990), Hungarian football player and manager
• Béla Vörösmarty (1844–1904), Hungarian jurist and politician
• Béla Wenckheim (1811–1879), Hungarian politician
• Bela Zaboly (1910–1985), American cartoonist
• Béla Zoltán (1865–1929), Hungarian politician and jurist
• Béla Zsedényi (1894–1955), Hungarian jurist and politician
• Béla Zsitkovszky (1867–1930), Hungarian cinematographer and film director
• Béla Zsitnik (born 1924), Hungarian rower
• Béla Zsolt (1895–1949), Hungarian author
• Béla Zulawszky (1869–1914), Hungarian fencer

See also

• Běla, female given name of Czech origin