Betty
Betty or Bettie is a feminine given name. It is commonly a diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatrice. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was more often a diminutive of Bethia.
Meaning & Origin of Betty
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Betty or Bettie is a feminine given name. It is commonly a diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatrice. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was more often a diminutive of Bethia.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Betty
Betty first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 117 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1930, when 38,238 Bettys were born — ranking #2 that year. As of 2026, Betty ranks #1,015 for baby girls with 249 births, rising sharply (+21% over the past five years). In total, more than 1.0M Bettys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Betty
Phonetically similar names — useful when Betty 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 Betty
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About the name Betty
Betty is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.0M births in the dataset. Betty's peak popularity came in 1930 when it ranked #2. Use the chart and map above to compare Betty's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1930 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- 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.