Beth
Feminine · “my God is an oath”
Beth is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 159,430 girls against 325 boys since 1880.
Beth is Elizabeth taken from the middle rather than the front — an unusual thing to do to a name, and the reason Beth sounds nothing like Bess, Betty or Eliza despite sharing a parent with all of them.
How old is the name Beth?
Beth first appears in US birth records in 1884 — 141 years ago. The typical Beth alive today was born around 1965, making them about 60 years old. About 135,000 people named Beth are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Beth most popular?
Beth peaked in 1961, reaching #65 nationally. Today it ranks #3389, 3,324 places below that high. See the whole 1961 chart.
Beth appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
From Elisheva to Beth
The story of Beth
Elizabeth was among the most-given names in English for four centuries and generated more short forms than any other, because a name that common needs them. Most were taken from the front of the word; Beth comes from the back of the first half, which makes it distinctive. Little Women in 1868 gave a Beth to millions of readers, and the short form began to be registered as a legal name from the early twentieth century, peaking in America in the early 1960s.
Meaning
my God is an oath
Through Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva — el, 'God', and sheva, 'oath' or 'seven', the two being connected in Hebrew. The second reading of the same elements gives 'my God is abundance'. Both are standard.
How the name formed
- Elisheva
- Elizabeth
- Beth
Related forms: Bethan · Elisheva · Beathag
Pronouncing Beth
BETH
One syllable, th as in 'thin'. Said identically everywhere in English.
Nicknames for Beth
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1884
- Most girls named
- 19626,419 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #65reached in 1961
- Change vs 2022
- +12.5%45 in 2025, from 40
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Beth in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Bethan in Welsh — related form
- Elisheva in Hebrew — related form
- Beathag in Scottish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Utah, New York.
Beths among us
people named Beth are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 35,717 born in 2025 was named Beth
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Vera test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Beth's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Vera climbed just as high around 1915, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Vera's path sketches the road Beth is walking now.
Beth sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Beth is headed
Beth should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Beth beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Beth in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One syllable, four letters, and never misheard or misspelled.
- Elizabeth stands behind it as one of the deepest names in the language.
- It is quiet without being weak, which is a difficult balance for a short name.
- Given outright it stays a short form for life; Elizabeth on the certificate keeps every option open.
- It is very brief, and can be swallowed by a long or heavily consonantal surname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Beth to the vote.
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What they receive
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Beth
Feminine · #3389 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Beths are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 135,000 people named Beth are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Beth in 2025?
- Beth ranks #3389 among US girl names in 2025, with 45 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Beth?
- About 1 in every 35,717 US girls born in 2025 was named Beth — 45 in all.
- Will my child share the name Beth with classmates?
- Beth will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Beth
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Katheryn#3389 · Posey#3389 · Ronni#3389 · Gittel#3389 · Betsabe#3389 · Germany#3389 · Jaslene#3389 · Lovina#3389
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Beth? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Beth and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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