Submitted Name Revision History

From an Italian word meaning "beautiful sight", from Italian bel "beautiful" and vedere "a view, sight". It was apparently coined in the early 19th century, when it first appears as a given name in United States historical records (for both Northern and Southern states), along with its feminine variant Belva.

The Apollo Belvedere is a famous marble statue from classical antiquity, in which case it refers to the Belvedere Gallery of the Vatican Museum in Rome, where the sculpture once stood. The Apollo Belvedere is allegedly responsible for inspiring American painters John Trumbull and Gilbert Stuart's portrayals of George Washington. This may be the inspiration behind its use in America.

It was used by American cartoonist George Webster Crenshaw in his comic strip Belvedere, which ran from 1962 to 1995, where it belongs to a male hound dog.