NameChart

Betty

Girl name

Betty has been given to 1,004,857 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1930. In 2025, about 1 in 7,581 girls was named Betty.

Meaning & origin /ˈbɛti/

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

09.56k19.12k28.68k38.24k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

1,004,857

Peak year

1930 (38,396 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +10%

Gender split

100% girls / 0% boys

Rank through the decades

Betty's rank among U.S. girl names at 25-year milestones.

YearGirls rankBoys rank
1900#100
1925#3#703
1950#26
1975#237

— means outside the top 1000 that year.

Spellings & variants

Names one letter away from Betty — alternate spellings parents actually use.

Famous people named Betty

Lauren Bacall

American actress (1924–2014)

Betty White

American actress and comedian (1922–2021)

Betty Ford

First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977

Betty Friedan

American feminist writer and activist (1921–2006)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Betty.

FAQ

How popular is the name Betty?

Betty has been given to 1,004,857 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.

When did the name Betty peak?

Betty peaked in 1930, when 38,396 babies were given the name.

Is Betty a girl or boy name?

Betty is primarily a girl name (100% of babies named Betty are girls).

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