Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1961

Beth

Meaning A diminutive of the female given names Elizabeth and Bethany Gender Girl Rank 2025 #3,405 Trend → Stable

A diminutive of the female given names Elizabeth and Bethany.

Rank 2025
#3,405
among girls · ↓351 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
45
named Beth · -15% vs 2024
How common
1 in 35,717
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1961
6,731 babies
All-time total
159,755
#250 all-time among girls
First recorded
1884
in Social Security records

Beth popularity over time

159,755 babies have been named Beth since 1884, 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 77 – 77 8 – #486
1890s 240 – 240 24 +212% #525
1900s 334 – 334 33 +39% #509
1910s 2,027 – 2,027 203 +507% #338
1920s 3,101 – 3,101 310 +53% #347
1930s 3,311 – 3,311 331 +7% #279
1940s 8,661 – 8,661 866 +162% #201
1950s 33,987 54 34,041 3,404 +293% #80
1960s 58,384 135 58,519 5,852 +72% #65
1970s 28,860 86 28,946 2,895 -51% #92
1980s 15,373 50 15,423 1,542 -47% #106
1990s 3,457 – 3,457 346 -78% #392
2000s 942 – 942 94 -73% #1,231
2010s 412 – 412 41 -56% #3,312
2020s (to 2025) 264 – 264 44 +7% #3,054

Where Beth 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 46 0.03 outside top 500
2027 46 0.03 outside top 500
2028 47 0.03 outside top 500
2029 47 0.03 outside top 500
2030 48 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Beth

Beth is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,405 in 2025 with 45 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1884, 159,755 American babies have been named Beth. Its peak came in 1961, when 6,731 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Beth stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Beth?

The median living Beth is about 60 years old; half are between 51 and 66. An estimated 136 thousand people named Beth are alive in the United States today.

median 60 020406080100

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

Beth 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 45 #3,405 – –
2024 53 #3,054 – –
2023 31 #4,476 – –
2022 40 #3,775 – –
2021 52 #3,118 – –
2020 43 #3,507 – –
2019 33 #4,268 – –
2018 46 #3,407 – –
2017 38 #3,925 – –
2016 39 #3,862 – –
2015 44 #3,540 – –
2014 45 #3,495 – –
2013 35 #4,173 – –
2012 47 #3,427 – –
2011 49 #3,312 – –
2010 36 #4,122 – –
2009 40 #3,883 – –
2008 69 #2,665 – –
2007 61 #2,934 – –
2006 85 #2,251 – –
2005 57 #2,873 – –
2004 103 #1,835 – –
2003 103 #1,814 – –
2002 107 #1,709 – –
2001 156 #1,259 – –
2000 161 #1,231 – –
1995 283 #722 – –
1990 663 #392 – –
1985 1,341 #199 6 #5,859
1980 2,848 #106 10 #3,874
1975 2,323 #120 8 #3,982
1970 4,247 #92 12 #2,749
1965 5,774 #66 12 #2,379
1960 6,257 #72 10 #2,696
1955 3,272 #133 8 #2,985
1950 1,580 #177 – –
1945 806 #234 – –
1940 470 #290 – –
1935 343 #345 – –
1930 251 #414 – –
1925 315 #384 – –
1920 349 #349 – –
1915 209 #414 – –
1910 63 #517 – –
1905 22 #780 – –
1900 29 #658 – –
1895 22 #660 – –
1890 15 #694 – –
1885 9 #750 – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Beth

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

  1. 1 Beth Behrs Beth Behrs American actress (born 1985) Contemporary
  2. 2 Beth Grant Beth Grant American actress (born 1949) Contemporary
  3. 3 Beth Phoenix Beth Phoenix American professional wrestler (born 1980) Contemporary
  4. 4 Beth Riesgraf Beth Riesgraf American actress b. 1978 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Beth Broderick Beth Broderick American actress (born 1959) Contemporary
  6. 6 Beth Gibbons Beth Gibbons British singer (born 1965) Contemporary
  7. 7 Beth Hart Beth Hart American blues rock musician (born 1972) Contemporary
  8. 8 Beth Orton Beth Orton English musician (born 1970) Contemporary
  9. 9 Beth Littleford Beth Littleford American actress (born 1968) Contemporary
  10. 10 Beth Tweddle Beth Tweddle English artistic gymnast (born 1985) Contemporary
  11. 11 Beth Heiden Beth Heiden American sportswoman (born 1959) Contemporary
  12. 12 Beth Carvalho Beth Carvalho Brazilian singer, guitarist, cavaquinist, and composer (1946–2019) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Beth?

The median living Beth is about 60 years old. Half of all living Beths are between 51 and 66 years old.

How many people named Beth are alive today?

An estimated 136 thousand people named Beth are alive in the United States, based on 159,755 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Beth mean?

A diminutive of the female given names Elizabeth and Bethany.

How popular is the name Beth in 2025?

Beth ranked #3,405 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 45 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Beth?

159,755 babies have been named Beth in the United States since 1884, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Beth most popular?

Beth peaked in 1961, when 6,731 newborns received the name.

Is Beth a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Beth rising or falling?

Beth has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Beth become more popular?

Beth looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 48 girls named Beth in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Beth?

Well-known people named Beth include Beth Behrs (actor), Beth Grant (actor), Beth Phoenix (wrestler).

Names like Beth

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

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