The settlement got its name after the creek Biela (1228 torrens Bela, now Starý potok), in Slovak "white".[4] The village founded on the creek was named Bana (a mine), later Biela Bana to distinguish between Banská Belá and Banská Štiavnica which was called also Bana.[4] The Hungarian name Feyerbanya and its variations are translations of the Slovak name.[4] The origin of the German name Dill is uncertain.[4]
The first written mention is probably terra nomine bela (1288), older sources mention also an unreliable record terra banensium (1156).[4]
History
The village arose by separation from Banská Štiavnica, but it was part of Banská Štiavnica again from 1873 to 1954.