Béla (Hungarian: [ˈbeːlɒ]; Slavic variants are Bela or Belo) 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 etymological source is a Turkic word boila/boyla – "noble, distinguished" (which was a title of high nobility among the Bulgars and Göktürks), or a variant of Ábel.

Due to the fame and importance of Saint Adalbert of Prague (~956–997) for early mediaeval Hungarian, Czech and Polish cultural history, the name Béla has been artificially assigned to the Germanic name Adalbert ("noble bright") and the Slavonic name Vojtěch/Wojciech ("consolator of troops"), although there is no linguistic relationship among these names.

People

• 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
• 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 (1921–2016), 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 (1937–2021), Hungarian clarinetist
  • Béla Kovács (born 1960), Hungarian politician
  • Béla Kovács (born 1977), Hungarian footballer
• Béla Kuharszki (1940–2016), 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 (1949–2018), 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
• Béla Molnar (1951-2020), American educator
• Bela De Nagy (1893–1945), American fencer
• Béla Orczy (1822–1917), Hungarian politician
• Béla Ormos (1899–1945), Hungarian actor
• 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 Perényi (1953–1988), Hungarian chess master
• 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 (1923–2020), Hungarian pianist
• Béla Simon (born 1988), Hungarian rower
• Béla Spányi (1852–1914), Hungarian painter
• 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 (1924–2019), Hungarian rower
• Béla Zsolt (1895–1949), Hungarian author
• Béla Zulawszky (1869–1914), Hungarian fencer

See also

• Běla, female given name of Czech origin
• Adalbert
• Vojtěch