Betty
Girl name · #1114 in 2025 · Rare
Betty ranks #1114 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 212 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #1266, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 8,491 girls born in 2025 was named Betty.
The 145-year story
Betty first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 117 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1930, when 38,240 girls were named Betty — good for #2 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Betty per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Betty against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Betty in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Betty is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Betty will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Betty is most common
Geography matters for names, and Betty is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Betty is most common in MO (0.5 per 1,000), OH (0.2 per 1,000), NY (0.2 per 1,000), TX (0.1 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.2 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Betty is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Betty
Betty belongs to the Elizabeth family — closely related nicknames and spellings of the same name.
ElizabethLizLizzieBethElizaBettyBetsyLibby
Counted as one name, the Elizabeth family went to about 9,917 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #8, versus #1114 for Betty alone.
Names like Betty
Statistically, parents drawn to Betty tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Joan, Shirley, Beverly, Nancy, and Sally.
JoanShirleyBeverlyNancySallyJoyceBillieNorma
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Betty | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 212 | #1113 |
| 2024 | 253 | #1012 |
| 2023 | 202 | #1186 |
| 2022 | 210 | #1157 |
| 2021 | 205 | #1187 |
| 2020 | 198 | #1173 |
| 2019 | 163 | #1377 |
| 2018 | 216 | #1130 |
| 2017 | 177 | #1317 |
| 2016 | 179 | #1327 |
| 2015 | 192 | #1266 |
| 2014 | 196 | #1240 |
| 2013 | 177 | #1321 |
| 2012 | 141 | #1552 |
| 2011 | 167 | #1372 |
| 2010 | 136 | #1593 |
| 2009 | 150 | #1516 |
| 2008 | 141 | #1605 |
| 2007 | 135 | #1645 |
| 2006 | 138 | #1567 |
| 2005 | 135 | #1525 |
| 2004 | 140 | #1453 |
| 2003 | 148 | #1365 |
| 2002 | 129 | #1480 |
| 2001 | 154 | #1277 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Betty a popular girl name?
Betty ranked #1114 among girls in 2025 with 212 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1266.
When was the name Betty most popular?
Betty peaked in 1930, when 38,240 American girls received the name (ranked #2 that year). Since 1930 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Betty?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 8,491 newborn American girls was named Betty. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.