Belle

Belle in 1991's Beauty and the Beast

In Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Belle was a young French woman. Belle was fond of books, and was often found reading. Gaston, the town scoundrel, was determined to make Belle his wife. When Belle's father Maurice was captured by the Beast, she traded herself for his freedom. Over time, she came to love the Beast, who was a cursed Prince. Belle's love broke the curse, and the two lived happily ever after.

Belle in the 2017 live action remake of Beauty and the Beast

 In the 2017 remake, Belle was also a bit of an inventor. Her mother died of the plague when she was a baby, prompting Maurice to move them out of Paris to their little village.

Belle in Once Upon a Time

In the television series Once Upon a Time, Belle's story is a little different. In this version, her father was a noble. During the Ogre Wars, he appealed to Rumpelstiltskin for help. Rumpelstiltskin agreed on the condition that Belle become his servant forever. Belle agreed, and returned with him to his castle. The two fell in love, but a plot by the evil queen caused Rumpelstiltskin to distrust Belle and reject him. When the evil queen's curse transported everyone to Storybrooke, Belle was locked up in a psych ward at the Hospital until she was released by Jefferson. She and Rumpelstiltskin eventually married and they had a son named Gideon.

In Disney's Descendants, Belle was the Queen of Auradon and was the mother of Prince Benjamin.

Belle is the French word for 'beautiful.' Belle was in the top 1,000 names in the U.S. from 1900 through 1934. In 2014, 250 girls were named Belle.

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