girls' name ★ peaked 1930

Betty

Meaning A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,113 Trend ↑ Rising 20%

A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth.

Rank 2025
#1,113
among girls · ↓101 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
212
named Betty · -16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,581
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1930
38,396 babies
All-time total
1,004,857
#14 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Betty popularity over time

1,004,857 babies have been named Betty 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
1020304018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 1,519 – 1,519 152 – #136
1890s 3,196 – 3,196 320 +110% #119
1900s 7,921 30 7,951 795 +149% #72
1910s 44,894 89 44,983 4,498 +466% #15
1920s 283,096 753 283,849 28,385 +531% #2
1930s 300,409 1,431 301,840 30,184 +6% #2
1940s 194,623 742 195,365 19,537 -35% #5
1950s 103,204 311 103,515 10,352 -47% #26
1960s 38,397 172 38,569 3,857 -63% #68
1970s 11,708 62 11,770 1,177 -69% #169
1980s 5,163 29 5,192 519 -56% #354
1990s 2,638 – 2,638 264 -49% #572
2000s 1,446 – 1,446 145 -45% #1,150
2010s 1,744 – 1,744 174 +21% #1,131
2020s (to 2025) 1,280 – 1,280 213 +22% #1,012

Where Betty 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 218 0.14 outside top 500
2027 223 0.14 outside top 500
2028 228 0.14 outside top 500
2029 232 0.14 outside top 500
2030 235 0.15 outside top 500

Where Betty is most popular

Girls named Betty per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.133 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, Utah, and Minnesota.

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 Betty 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
Missouri 45 0.373 +180%
Utah 29 0.348 +161%
Minnesota 27 0.250 +88%
Ohio 53 0.223 +67%
Washington 32 0.222 +66%
Oregon 14 0.215 +61%
Alabama 20 0.213 +60%
Pennsylvania 48 0.203 +52%
Idaho 6 0.179 +34%
Kansas 10 0.173 +30%
Iowa 10 0.171 +28%
Michigan 31 0.170 +28%
South Carolina 15 0.167 +25%
Oklahoma 12 0.163 +22%
Georgia 34 0.150 +12%
Tennessee 23 0.145 +9%
Illinois 31 0.135 ≈ national
Arizona 19 0.135 ≈ national
Kentucky 11 0.129 ≈ national
Indiana 18 0.128 ≈ national
Colorado 14 0.125 -6%
Texas 97 0.121 -10%
New York 47 0.119 -11%
California 96 0.114 -14%
Maryland 11 0.104 -22%
North Carolina 21 0.092 -31%
Florida 31 0.072 -46%
Virginia 12 0.070 -47%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Betty

Betty is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,113 in 2025 with 212 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 1,004,857 American babies have been named Betty. Its peak came in 1930, when 38,396 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1930s.

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

How old are people named Betty?

The median living Betty is about 79 years old; half are between 70 and 86. An estimated 357 thousand people named Betty are alive in the United States today.

median 79 020406080100

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

Betty 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 212 #1,113 – –
2024 253 #1,012 – –
2023 202 #1,187 – –
2022 210 #1,157 – –
2021 205 #1,189 – –
2020 198 #1,175 – –
2019 163 #1,379 – –
2018 216 #1,131 – –
2017 177 #1,319 – –
2016 179 #1,328 – –
2015 192 #1,268 – –
2014 196 #1,240 – –
2013 177 #1,322 – –
2012 141 #1,553 – –
2011 167 #1,375 – –
2010 136 #1,597 – –
2009 150 #1,517 – –
2008 141 #1,606 – –
2007 135 #1,646 – –
2006 138 #1,567 – –
2005 135 #1,526 – –
2004 140 #1,453 – –
2003 148 #1,365 – –
2002 129 #1,480 – –
2001 154 #1,277 – –
2000 176 #1,150 – –
1995 236 #830 – –
1990 406 #572 – –
1985 502 #437 5 #6,627
1980 658 #359 – –
1975 1,021 #237 8 #3,983
1970 1,966 #169 8 #3,551
1965 3,566 #103 18 #1,862
1960 6,501 #68 29 #1,489
1955 9,924 #36 21 #1,686
1950 13,615 #26 31 #1,293
1945 18,387 #11 62 #784
1940 22,077 #5 115 #551
1935 28,674 #4 151 #461
1930 38,240 #2 156 #476
1925 32,812 #3 84 #703
1920 14,016 #11 25 #1,510
1915 4,181 #53 11 #2,320
1910 1,389 #69 5 #1,614
1905 807 #85 5 #1,253
1900 665 #100 – –
1895 350 #131 – –
1890 216 #164 – –
1885 155 #145 – –
1880 117 #136 – –

Famous people named Betty

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

  1. 1 Betty White Betty White American actress and comedian (1922–2021) Contemporary
  2. 2 Betty Gilpin Betty Gilpin American actress (born 1986) Contemporary
  3. 3 Betty Mahmoody American author and public speaker (born 1945) Contemporary
  4. 4 Betty Buckley Betty Buckley American actress, singer (born 1947) Contemporary
  5. 5 Betty Grable Betty Grable American actress and pin-up girl (1916–1973) Contemporary
  6. 6 Betty Ford Betty Ford First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 1918–2011 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Betty Friedan Betty Friedan American feminist writer and activist (1921–2006) Contemporary
  8. 8 Betty Hutton Betty Hutton American actress (1921–2007) Contemporary
  9. 9 Betty Garrett Betty Garrett American actress, comedian, singer and dancer (1919–2011) Contemporary
  10. 10 Betty Thomas Betty Thomas American director and actress (born 1947) b. 1948 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Betty Wright Betty Wright American singer (1953–2020) Contemporary
  12. 12 Betty Field Betty Field American actress (1916–1973) 1913–1973 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Betty Robinson Betty Robinson American Olympic champion 1911–1999 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Betty Carter Betty Carter American jazz singer-songwriter (1929–1998) Contemporary
  15. 15 Betty Compson Betty Compson American actress (1897–1974) 19th century
  16. 16 Betty Everett Betty Everett American R&B and soul singer-songwriter (1939–2001) Contemporary
  17. 17 Betty Stöve Betty Stöve Dutch former tennis player (born 1945) Contemporary
  18. 18 Betty Cuthbert Betty Cuthbert Australian sprinter (1938–2017) Contemporary
  19. 19 Betty Holberton Betty Holberton American computer scientist (1917–2001) Contemporary
  20. 20 Betty Blythe Betty Blythe American actress (1893–1972) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Betty?

The median living Betty is about 79 years old. Half of all living Bettys are between 70 and 86 years old.

How many people named Betty are alive today?

An estimated 357 thousand people named Betty are alive in the United States, based on 1,004,857 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Betty mean?

A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth.

How popular is the name Betty in 2025?

Betty ranked #1,113 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 212 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Betty?

1,004,857 babies have been named Betty in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Betty most popular?

Betty peaked in 1930, when 38,396 newborns received the name.

Is Betty a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Betty rising or falling?

Betty is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Betty become more popular?

Betty is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 235 girls named Betty 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 Betty?

Well-known people named Betty include Betty White (actor), Betty Gilpin (actor), Betty Mahmoody (writer).

Names like Betty

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

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