Girl · #4,660 in 2026

Bertha

Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German berhta meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names Beorhtgifu meaning "bright gift" or Beorhtwynn meaning "bright joy".

Current Rank
#4,660
Peak Rank
#7 (1918)
Total Babies
208K
5-Yr Trend
+6%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1918
Peak Year
#7
Peak Rank
208K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Bertha

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German berhta meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names Beorhtgifu meaning "bright gift" or Beorhtwynn meaning "bright joy".

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Bertha

Bertha first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 1,320 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 5,051 Berthas were born — ranking #51 that year. As of 2026, Bertha ranks #4,660 for baby girls with 29 births, gradually rising (+6%). In total, more than 208K Berthas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Notable people named Bertha

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Saint Bertha of Kent (539 – c. 612), Queen of Kent
  • Saint Bertha of Val d'Or (d. c. 690), abbess
  • Saint Bertha of Artois (mid-7th century – 4 July 725), abbess, daughter of Count Rigobert and Ursana
  • Bertrada of Laon (also called Bertha with the big feet) (720–783), Frankish queen
  • Bertha, daughter of Charlemagne (c. 780 – after 11 March 824)
  • Bertha, daughter of Lothair II (863–925)
  • Bertha-Eudokia of Provence (died 949), Byzantine empress
  • Blessed Bertha de Bardi , Florence; (died 24 March 1163)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Bertha

Phonetically similar names — useful when Bertha is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bertha

What does the name Bertha mean?
Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German berhta meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names Beorhtgifu meaning "bright gift" or Beorhtwynn meaning "bright joy".
How popular is Bertha in 2026?
In 2026, Bertha ranks #4,660 among girls' names in the U.S., with 29 babies given the name that year.
When was Bertha most popular?
Bertha reached its peak popularity in 1918, ranking #7 that year with 5,051 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Bertha most popular?
Bertha has historically been most popular in Arizona, Vermont, Mississippi. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Bertha.
Is Bertha a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Bertha is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Bertha?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Bertha include Ida, Clara, Marie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Bertha

Bertha is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 208K births in the dataset. Bertha's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #7. Use the chart and map above to compare Bertha's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.