# Bethan (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/bethan/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Aramaic |
| Meaning | “house of wretchedness” |
| Pronunciation | /bɛθən/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 89 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 89 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 7,979, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Shortened form of Bethany, from Ancient Greek Βηθανία (Bēthanía), from Aramaic בית עניא (beth anya, “house of wretchedness”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 5 | 10,577 |
| 1984 | 7 | 8,240 |
| 1986 | 5 | 11,085 |
| 1987 | 7 | 8,869 |
| 1988 | 9 | 7,758 |
| 1989 | 6 | 10,999 |
| 1992 | 7 | 10,611 |
| 1993 | 6 | 11,949 |
| 1994 | 5 | 13,696 |
| 1996 | 6 | 12,024 |
| 2000 | 5 | 15,373 |
| 2002 | 6 | 13,848 |
| 2004 | 5 | 16,477 |
| 2008 | 5 | 17,953 |
| 2012 | 5 | 17,309 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 176 | 278 |
| 2012 | 175 | 281 |
| 2013 | 140 | 329 |
| 2014 | 133 | 344 |
| 2015 | 113 | 402 |
| 2016 | 90 | 483 |
| 2017 | 71 | 593 |
| 2018 | 67 | 614 |
| 2019 | 49 | 770 |
| 2020 | 35 | 969 |
| 2021 | 28 | 1,195 |
| 2022 | 21 | 1,452 |
| 2023 | 18 | 1,640 |
| 2024 | 13 | 2,115 |
| 2025 | 11 | 2,440 |

## People named Bethan

- Bethan Wright, English actress and model
- Lucie Jones, British singer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.