ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1948 First Year 1966 Last Year 1953 Peak Year #4596 Peak Rank 34 Total Count 6 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Bethe What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Bethe is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:Albrecht Bethe (1872–1954), German physiologist and father of Hans Bethe Erich Bethe (1863–1940), German philologist Hans Bethe (1906–2005), German-American nuclear physicist Kitty Bethe, one professional name of Kitty Cooper, American bridge player Margarethe Loewe-Bethe (1859–1932), German painter Mickaël Bethe-Selassié… Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethe) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethe) 📖 ## The Story of Bethe American parents first put Bethe on the record books as a baby girl name in 1948, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1953, when 7 Bethes were born — ranking #4,596 that year. The 1960s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 50% of all recorded Bethes. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1966 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 34 Bethes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s 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 🎶 ## Names that sound like Bethe Phonetically similar names — useful when Bethe is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Bothy * Boothy * Bathy * Bedi * Belly * [Berry](/berry) * [Beth](/beth) * [Barry](/barry) * [Benny](/benny) * Beli * [Barre](/barre) * [Bessie](/bessie) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Bethe What does the name Bethe mean? Bethe is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:Albrecht Bethe (1872–1954), German physiologist and father of Hans Bethe Erich Bethe (1863–1940), German philologist Hans Bethe (1906–2005), German-American nuclear physicist Kitty Bethe, one professional name of Kitty Cooper, American bridge player Margarethe Loewe-Bethe (1859–1932), German painter Mickaël Bethe-Selassié… How popular is Bethe in 2026? In 2026, Bethe ranks #6,564 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Bethe most popular? Bethe reached its peak popularity in 1953, ranking #4,596 that year with 7 babies given the name. Is Bethe a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Bethe is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Bethe? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Bethe include Raydene, Cherylin, Keron. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧RaydenePeak #4596](/raydene)[👧CherylinPeak #4596](/cherylin)[👧KeronPeak #4596](/keron)[👧LindajeanPeak #4596](/lindajean)[👧BrendellPeak #4596](/brendell)[👧CarllaPeak #4596](/carlla)[👧CristenePeak #4596](/cristene)[👧DarisePeak #4596](/darise) ## About the name Bethe Bethe is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1948 and has accumulated 34 births in the dataset. Bethe's peak popularity came in 1953 when it ranked #4,596\. Use the chart and map above to compare Bethe's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1953 → ](/year/1953) * [ Names of the 1950s → ](/decade/1950s) * [ Names starting with "B" → ](/letter/b) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.