Beth
Beth was the 3405th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 45 babies. Its best year was 1961, when it ranked 65th with 6,716 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 135 places. More babies were named Beth in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Elizabeth or Bethany · English, Hebrew
Say it BETH /bɛθ/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,405 girls, up 102 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 45girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19616,716 babies
- Total since 1880
- 159,755babies recorded
What does the name Beth mean?
Beth is a short form of Elizabeth and of Bethany, as Wiktionary notes. Elizabeth comes from Hebrew Elisheva, usually explained as 'my God is an oath'; Bethany is a village near Jerusalem in the Gospels, from Aramaic bet 'house' and a second element of uncertain meaning. Beth March in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (1868) helped make it a name on its own.
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elisheva) (Biblical Hebrew, “my God is an oath”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Elizabeth, Bethany, Betty, Bess.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Beth', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Elizabeth', DMNES (Durham University)
Beth popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 325 since 1954.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,405 | 45 |
| 2020 | #3,507 | 43 |
| 2010 | #4,122 | 36 |
| 2000 | #1,231 | 161 |
| 1990 | #392 | 663 |
| 1980 | #106 | 2,848 |
| 1970 | #92 | 4,247 |
| 1960 | #72 | 6,257 |
| 1950 | #177 | 1,580 |
| 1940 | #290 | 470 |
| 1930 | #414 | 251 |
| 1920 | #349 | 349 |
| 1910 | #517 | 63 |
| 1900 | #658 | 29 |
| 1890 | #694 | 15 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Beth, counting every spelling?
Beth has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Beth?
45 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Beth (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Beth 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 186 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Beth.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Beth?
About 131,000 people born in the US named Beth are alive today, with a median age of 61; half are between 52 and 67. That makes Beth 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.
Beth by state
How common Beth was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 48 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 Beth: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Beth, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Beth · Sibling names for Beth
Beth is also a nickname for Elizabeth, Bethany and Lizbeth.
Questions about the name Beth
What does Beth mean?
Beth means “short form of Elizabeth or Bethany” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Beth?
Beth was the 3405th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 45 babies. Its best year was 1961, when it ranked 65th with 6,716 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 135 places. More babies were named Beth in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Beth a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Beth in the US.
Where is Beth most popular?
In 2021–2025, Beth was most common in Utah (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by Pennsylvania and Texas.