Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1922

Bethel

Gender Unisex · 84% girls Rank 2025 #3,406 Trend ↓ Falling 30%
Rank 2025
#3,406
among girls · ↑246 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
51
named Bethel · +21% vs 2024
How common
1 in 35,717
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1922
150 babies
All-time total
6,237
#2,496 all-time among girls
First recorded
1890
in Social Security records

Bethel popularity over time

6,237 babies have been named Bethel since 1890, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s 141 19 160 16 – #663
1900s 262 34 296 30 +85% #640
1910s 798 213 1,011 101 +242% #632
1920s 977 244 1,221 122 +21% #666
1930s 606 183 789 79 -35% #791
1940s 392 129 521 52 -34% #990
1950s 250 95 345 35 -34% #1,506
1960s 224 33 257 26 -26% #2,043
1970s 130 17 147 15 -43% #3,128
1980s 107 5 112 11 -24% #4,343
1990s 111 – 111 11 -1% #5,807
2000s 324 7 331 33 +198% #3,372
2010s 611 20 631 63 +91% #2,244
2020s (to 2025) 288 17 305 51 -19% #2,726

Where Bethel 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 42 0.03 outside top 500
2027 40 0.02 outside top 500
2028 38 0.02 outside top 500
2029 37 0.02 outside top 500
2030 36 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Bethel

Bethel is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,406 in 2025 with 45 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1890, 6,237 American babies have been named Bethel, about 84% girls and 16% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1922, when 150 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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

How old are people named Bethel?

The median living Bethel is about 32 years old; half are between 10 and 71. An estimated 2,700 people named Bethel are alive in the United States today.

median 32 020406080100

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

Bethel 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 #3,406 6 #10,867
2024 42 #3,652 – –
2023 42 #3,646 – –
2022 42 #3,659 5 #12,602
2021 63 #2,726 – –
2020 54 #2,976 6 #10,774
2019 57 #2,896 – –
2018 82 #2,244 – –
2017 66 #2,637 – –
2016 79 #2,366 9 #8,227
2015 70 #2,561 – –
2014 59 #2,894 – –
2013 50 #3,226 6 #10,905
2012 53 #3,136 5 #12,505
2011 48 #3,360 – –
2010 47 #3,421 – –
2009 49 #3,372 – –
2008 38 #4,103 – –
2007 33 #4,488 – –
2006 24 #5,573 – –
2005 35 #4,041 – –
2004 38 #3,755 7 #9,048
2003 24 #5,110 – –
2002 33 #3,901 – –
2001 24 #4,856 – –
2000 26 #4,545 – –
1995 – – – –
1990 10 #7,940 – –
1985 11 #6,064 – –
1980 17 #4,343 – –
1975 15 #4,162 6 #4,855
1970 15 #3,886 5 #4,795
1965 19 #2,844 6 #3,575
1960 23 #2,519 – –
1955 26 #2,112 9 #2,785
1950 34 #1,603 14 #2,037
1945 31 #1,453 10 #2,262
1940 52 #990 20 #1,524
1935 62 #874 14 #1,936
1930 62 #927 36 #1,174
1925 93 #768 32 #1,282
1920 104 #711 25 #1,509
1915 96 #669 22 #1,465
1910 40 #672 – –
1905 25 #718 7 #1,012
1900 30 #640 5 #1,333
1895 14 #864 – –
1890 6 #1,229 – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Bethel?

The median living Bethel is about 32 years old. Half of all living Bethels are between 10 and 71 years old.

How many people named Bethel are alive today?

An estimated 2,700 people named Bethel are alive in the United States, based on 6,237 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Bethel in 2025?

Bethel ranked #3,406 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 Bethel?

6,237 babies have been named Bethel in the United States since 1890, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bethel most popular?

Bethel peaked in 1922, when 150 newborns received the name.

Is Bethel a boy or girl name?

Bethel is used for both: about 84% of babies named Bethel have been girls and 16% boys.

Is the name Bethel rising or falling?

Bethel is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bethel become more popular?

Bethel is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 36 girls named Bethel in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Bethel

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

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