Bessie can be a surname, a nickname (diminutive), and a woman's given name. Bessie is an English diminutive of Elizabeth or Bessandra, and has been so used since the 16th century. Bessie is sometimes used as a name in its own right, rather than an informal diminutive.
Bessie may refer to:
- A common or stereotypical name for cows
- Bessie, a stuffed Beanie Baby cow toy
- Bessie (lake monster), a lake monster in Lake Erie
- Bessie Awards in dance, the New York Dance and Performance Awards
- Bessie Smith, blues singer
- Bessie Love, stage name of American film actress Juanita Horton
- Alvah Bessie, screenwriter blacklisted as one of the Hollywood Ten
- Diamond Bessie, murdered prostitute
- Bessie Coleman, first African-American female aviator
- Bessilyn Johnson, woman who inspired Scotty's Castle
- A car used on the science fiction television series Doctor Who
- Bessie, an asphalt-paver character in the movie Cars
- Bessie Higgenbottom, titular character of the Nickelodeon TV channel cartoon, The Mighty B!