Girl · #2,434 in 2026

Betsy

Betsy is an English feminine given name, often a nickname for Elizabeth.

Current Rank
#2,434
Peak Rank
#228 (1959)
Total Babies
49K
5-Yr Trend
-12%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
1959
Peak Year
#228
Peak Rank
49K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Betsy

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

Betsy is an English feminine given name, often a nickname for Elizabeth.

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

The Story of Betsy

Betsy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 14 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1959, when 1,390 Betsys were born — ranking #228 that year. As of 2026, Betsy ranks #2,434 for baby girls with 74 births, gradually falling (-12%). In total, more than 49K Betsys 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 Betsy

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

  • Betsy , stage name of Welsh singer Elizabeth Humfrey
  • Betsy (born 2013), Russian singer and blogger
  • Betsy Abbas (born 1930s), South African-Egyptian tennis player
  • Betsy Aidem (born 1957), American actress
  • Betsy Alison (born 1960), American sailor
  • Betsy Ancker-Johnson (1927–2020), American plasma physicist
  • Betsy Arakawa (1959–2025), American musician
  • Betsy Atkins (born 1953), American business executive and entrepreneur

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

Names that sound like Betsy

Phonetically similar names — useful when Betsy 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 Betsy

What does the name Betsy mean?
Betsy is an English feminine given name, often a nickname for Elizabeth.
How popular is Betsy in 2026?
In 2026, Betsy ranks #2,434 among girls' names in the U.S., with 74 babies given the name that year.
When was Betsy most popular?
Betsy reached its peak popularity in 1959, ranking #228 that year with 1,390 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Betsy most popular?
Betsy has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Vermont, Connecticut. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Betsy.
Is Betsy a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Betsy is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Betsy?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Betsy include Kailey, Lennon, Daleyza. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Betsy

Betsy is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 49K births in the dataset. Betsy's peak popularity came in 1959 when it ranked #228. Use the chart and map above to compare Betsy'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.