Bertha
Bertha was the 4569th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 30 babies. Its best year was 1883, when it ranked 7th; the most babies were born in 1918 (5,051). Over the last ten years it has moved up 41 places. More babies were named Bertha in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning bright · Germanic, Old English
Say it BUR-thuh /ˈbɝθə/
- Rank in 2025
- #4,569 girls, up 92 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 30girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19185,051 babies
- Total since 1880
- 208,807babies recorded
What does the name Bertha mean?
Bertha comes from Germanic beraht 'bright', as DMNES and Wiktionary note; in English it reflects both Old English Berhte and the continental Bertha. Bertha of Kent, a Frankish princess, married King Æthelberht and helped bring Christianity to England around 597, and Charlemagne's mother was Bertrada. It was very common in the US around 1880-1900. The WWI German gun 'Big Bertha' made it less fashionable.
beraht (Old High German, “bright”)*berhtaz (Proto-Germanic, “bright”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Berta, Bertie, Albertha.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean light.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Bertha', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bertha', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Bertha
The usual nicknames for Bertha are Bert and Bertie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Bertha in the last five years, 42 were named Bertie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bert · also for Robert, Albert, Herbert | Traditional | — | — |
| Bertie · also for Albert, Alberta, Bert | Traditional | #8,955 | 62 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Berthas go by each one.
Bertha popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 937 since 1881.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,569 | 30 |
| 2020 | #4,661 | 28 |
| 2010 | #3,758 | 41 |
| 2000 | #1,855 | 92 |
| 1990 | #1,015 | 179 |
| 1980 | #802 | 203 |
| 1970 | #521 | 367 |
| 1960 | #323 | 850 |
| 1950 | #193 | 1,396 |
| 1940 | #141 | 1,730 |
| 1930 | #95 | 2,605 |
| 1920 | #57 | 4,604 |
| 1910 | #33 | 2,651 |
| 1900 | #16 | 3,019 |
| 1890 | #10 | 2,388 |
| 1880 | #9 | 1,320 |
How popular is Bertha, counting every spelling?
Bertha has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Bertha?
30 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bertha (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Bertha born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 280 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bertha.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bertha?
About 34,500 people born in the US named Bertha are alive today, with a median age of 73; half are between 61 and 82. That makes Bertha a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bertha by state
How common Bertha was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bertha: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bertha, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Bertha
What does Bertha mean?
Bertha means “bright” (Germanic, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bertha?
Bertha was the 4569th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 30 babies. Its best year was 1883, when it ranked 7th; the most babies were born in 1918 (5,051). Over the last ten years it has moved up 41 places. More babies were named Bertha in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Bertha a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Bertha in the US.
Where is Bertha most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bertha was most common in New York (0.01 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Texas.