# Béla (given name)

Béla (Hungarian:; 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). Another possible 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 (died 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 (1942-2024), 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