Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about ten kilometres south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of 28,591 people, as of 2017.
Meaning & Origin of Bethlehem
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about ten kilometres south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of 28,591 people, as of 2017.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Bethlehem
Bethlehem first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1985, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 24 Bethlehems were born — ranking #5,457 that year. As of 2026, Bethlehem ranks #9,521 for baby girls with 10 births, falling sharply (-47%). In total, more than 463 Bethlehems have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Bethlehem
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bethlehem is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Bellingham
- Bitheism
- Billingham
- Belem
- Billiton
- Benham
- Aleichem
- Abolishing
- Sealyham
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bethlehem
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About the name Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1985 and has accumulated 463 births in the dataset. Bethlehem's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #5,457. Use the chart and map above to compare Bethlehem's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.