girls' name ★ peaked 1959

Betsy

Meaning From the clipping of Elizabeth + -sy (hypocoristic suffix) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,724 Trend ↓ Falling 19%

From the clipping of Elizabeth + -sy (hypocoristic suffix).

Rank 2025
#2,724
among girls · ↓307 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
63
named Betsy · -16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 25,512
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1959
1,390 babies
All-time total
48,957
#598 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Betsy popularity over time

48,957 babies have been named Betsy 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 166 – 166 17 – #435
1890s 173 – 173 17 +4% #527
1900s 189 – 189 19 +9% #745
1910s 841 – 841 84 +345% #516
1920s 2,551 – 2,551 255 +203% #356
1930s 3,929 – 3,929 393 +54% #272
1940s 6,980 5 6,985 699 +78% #252
1950s 10,561 – 10,561 1,056 +51% #228
1960s 8,558 5 8,563 856 -19% #247
1970s 5,461 – 5,461 546 -36% #350
1980s 4,059 – 4,059 406 -26% #413
1990s 2,014 – 2,014 201 -50% #740
2000s 1,805 – 1,805 181 -10% #747
2010s 1,204 – 1,204 120 -33% #1,470
2020s (to 2025) 456 – 456 76 -37% #2,069

Where Betsy 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 61 0.04 outside top 500
2027 59 0.04 outside top 500
2028 58 0.04 outside top 500
2029 56 0.04 outside top 500
2030 55 0.03 outside top 500

Where Betsy is most popular

Girls named Betsy per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.045 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Tennessee.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Betsy born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 24 0.102 +124%
Texas 37 0.046 ≈ national
Tennessee 5 0.032 -30%
Georgia 6 0.026 -42%
California 19 0.023 -50%
New York 5 0.013 -72%
Florida 5 0.012 -74%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Betsy

Betsy is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,724 in 2025 with 63 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 48,957 American babies have been named Betsy. Its peak came in 1959, when 1,390 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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

How old are people named Betsy?

The median living Betsy is about 62 years old; half are between 45 and 71. An estimated 37 thousand people named Betsy are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

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

Betsy 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 63 #2,724 – –
2024 75 #2,417 – –
2023 77 #2,356 – –
2022 85 #2,212 – –
2021 67 #2,593 – –
2020 89 #2,069 – –
2019 92 #2,057 – –
2018 94 #2,062 – –
2017 96 #2,040 – –
2016 106 #1,900 – –
2015 125 #1,696 – –
2014 134 #1,605 – –
2013 134 #1,603 – –
2012 139 #1,567 – –
2011 130 #1,646 – –
2010 154 #1,470 – –
2009 160 #1,453 – –
2008 219 #1,170 – –
2007 247 #1,060 – –
2006 370 #747 – –
2005 119 #1,672 – –
2004 153 #1,369 – –
2003 133 #1,467 – –
2002 123 #1,536 – –
2001 124 #1,508 – –
2000 157 #1,245 – –
1995 170 #1,055 – –
1990 281 #740 – –
1985 399 #507 – –
1980 536 #413 – –
1975 512 #398 – –
1970 492 #446 – –
1965 932 #287 – –
1960 1,252 #247 – –
1955 984 #275 – –
1950 890 #254 – –
1945 651 #266 – –
1940 607 #255 – –
1935 384 #322 – –
1930 361 #349 – –
1925 284 #407 – –
1920 183 #519 – –
1915 77 #753 – –
1910 36 #705 – –
1905 17 #904 – –
1900 24 #745 – –
1895 17 #774 – –
1890 13 #761 – –
1885 13 #612 – –
1880 14 #451 – –

Famous people named Betsy

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

  1. 1 Betsy Brandt Betsy Brandt American actress (born 1973) b. 1976 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Betsy DeVos Betsy DeVos American politician and philanthropist (born 1958) Contemporary
  3. 3 Betsy Ross Betsy Ross American upholsterer (1752–1836) 18th century
  4. 4 Betsy Palmer Betsy Palmer American actress (1926–2015) Contemporary
  5. 5 Betsy Blair Betsy Blair American actress (1923–2009) Contemporary
  6. 6 Betsy Russell Betsy Russell American actress (born 1963) Contemporary
  7. 7 Betsy Nagelsen American tennis player b. 1956 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Betsy?

The median living Betsy is about 62 years old. Half of all living Betsys are between 45 and 71 years old.

How many people named Betsy are alive today?

An estimated 37 thousand people named Betsy are alive in the United States, based on 48,957 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Betsy mean?

From the clipping of Elizabeth + -sy (hypocoristic suffix).

How popular is the name Betsy in 2025?

Betsy ranked #2,724 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 63 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Betsy?

48,957 babies have been named Betsy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Betsy most popular?

Betsy peaked in 1959, when 1,390 newborns received the name.

Is Betsy a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Betsy rising or falling?

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

Will Betsy become more popular?

Betsy is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 55 girls named Betsy in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Betsy?

Well-known people named Betsy include Betsy Brandt (actor), Betsy DeVos (politician), Betsy Ross (celebrity).

Names like Betsy

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

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