Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1918

Bertha

Meaning bright one Gender Girl Rank 2025 #4,569 Trend ↑ Rising 10%

Definitely from Old English Berþa as a result of metathesis of h, from earlier Old English Berhte (“bright one”), influence of Latin Bercta.

Rank 2025
#4,569
among girls · ↑115 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
30
named Bertha · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 53,576
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1918
5,065 babies
All-time total
208,807
#192 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Bertha popularity over time

208,807 babies have been named Bertha since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
510152018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 18,263 88 18,351 1,835 – #7
1890s 25,125 99 25,224 2,522 +37% #10
1900s 24,247 116 24,363 2,436 -3% #16
1910s 40,120 130 40,250 4,025 +65% #33
1920s 38,571 183 38,754 3,875 -4% #57
1930s 21,234 169 21,403 2,140 -45% #95
1940s 16,225 84 16,309 1,631 -24% #140
1950s 11,251 42 11,293 1,129 -31% #193
1960s 5,838 21 5,859 586 -48% #323
1970s 2,717 – 2,717 272 -54% #521
1980s 1,687 5 1,692 169 -38% #781
1990s 1,400 – 1,400 140 -17% #1,015
2000s 686 – 686 69 -51% #1,798
2010s 330 – 330 33 -52% #3,416
2020s (to 2025) 176 – 176 29 -11% #4,220

Where Bertha is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 30 0.02 outside top 500
2027 31 0.02 outside top 500
2028 31 0.02 outside top 500
2029 31 0.02 outside top 500
2030 32 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Bertha

Bertha is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,569 in 2025 with 30 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 208,807 American babies have been named Bertha. Its peak came in 1918, when 5,065 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bertha stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bertha?

The median living Bertha is about 74 years old; half are between 62 and 83. An estimated 39 thousand people named Bertha are alive in the United States today.

median 74 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bertha year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 30 #4,569 – –
2024 29 #4,684 – –
2023 30 #4,581 – –
2022 34 #4,220 – –
2021 25 #5,112 – –
2020 28 #4,661 – –
2019 30 #4,557 – –
2018 28 #4,792 – –
2017 28 #4,825 – –
2016 36 #4,099 – –
2015 30 #4,610 – –
2014 34 #4,280 – –
2013 28 #4,921 – –
2012 28 #4,987 – –
2011 47 #3,416 – –
2010 41 #3,758 – –
2009 46 #3,520 – –
2008 45 #3,591 – –
2007 63 #2,865 – –
2006 73 #2,512 – –
2005 58 #2,834 – –
2004 71 #2,400 – –
2003 59 #2,677 – –
2002 80 #2,114 – –
2001 99 #1,798 – –
2000 92 #1,855 – –
1995 142 #1,209 – –
1990 179 #1,015 – –
1985 163 #951 – –
1980 203 #802 – –
1975 263 #605 – –
1970 367 #521 – –
1965 554 #394 6 #3,573
1960 850 #323 – –
1955 1,153 #239 10 #2,584
1950 1,396 #193 6 #3,356
1945 1,429 #165 5 #3,376
1940 1,730 #141 11 #2,191
1935 2,070 #114 17 #1,713
1930 2,605 #95 21 #1,604
1925 3,772 #74 14 #2,205
1920 4,604 #57 22 #1,647
1915 4,785 #46 12 #2,196
1910 2,651 #33 13 #871
1905 2,434 #21 10 #795
1900 3,019 #16 22 #492
1895 2,626 #11 13 #581
1890 2,388 #10 6 #897
1885 1,860 #8 13 #522
1880 1,320 #9 – –

Famous people named Bertha

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Bertha von Suttner Bertha von Suttner Austrian novelist and pacifist (1843–1914) 19th century
  2. 2 Bertha Benz Bertha Benz German automobile pioneer, with husband Carl Benz 1849–1944 · 19th century
  3. 3 Bertha Pappenheim Bertha Pappenheim Austrian-Jewish feminist (1859 – 1936) 19th century
  4. 4 Bertha of Kent Bertha of Kent Queen consort of Kent (c. 565–c. 601) 550–601 · Medieval
  5. 5 Bertha Krupp Bertha Krupp Industrial dynasty matriarch (1886–1957) 19th century
  6. 6 Bertha of Holland Bertha of Holland Queen of the Franks from 1072 to 1092 1055–1093 · Medieval
  7. 7 Bertha of Savoy Bertha of Savoy Holy Roman Empress from 1084 to 1087 1051–1087 · Medieval
  8. 8 Bertha of Burgundy Bertha of Burgundy Queen of the Franks from 996 to 1001 901–1010 · Medieval
  9. 9 Bertha of Swabia 10th-century Queen of Burgundy and Italy 907–1000 · Medieval
  10. 10 Bertha Lutz Bertha Lutz Brazilian scientist and politician (1894–1976) 19th century
  11. 11 Bertha of Sulzbach Bertha of Sulzbach Byzantine empress from 1146 to 1160 1110–1159 · Medieval
  12. 12 Bertha Wegmann Bertha Wegmann Danish portrait painter (1847–1926) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bertha, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bertha?

The median living Bertha is about 74 years old. Half of all living Berthas are between 62 and 83 years old.

How many people named Bertha are alive today?

An estimated 39 thousand people named Bertha are alive in the United States, based on 208,807 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bertha mean?

Definitely from Old English Berþa as a result of metathesis of h, from earlier Old English Berhte (“bright one”), influence of Latin Bercta.

How popular is the name Bertha in 2025?

Bertha ranked #4,569 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 30 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bertha?

208,807 babies have been named Bertha in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bertha most popular?

Bertha peaked in 1918, when 5,065 newborns received the name.

Is Bertha a boy or girl name?

Bertha is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bertha rising or falling?

Bertha has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Bertha become more popular?

Bertha looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 32 girls named Bertha in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Bertha?

Well-known people named Bertha include Bertha von Suttner (social activist), Bertha Benz (businessperson), Bertha Pappenheim (social activist).

Names like Bertha

Names that sound and feel close to Bertha: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bertha with similar names → More names starting with B →