# Bethany (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/bethany/  
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 | /ˈbɛθəni/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Bethan, Bethana |
| US babies named this | 101,086 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 184 / 100,902 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 43,290, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Ancient Greek Βηθανία (Bēthanía), from Aramaic בית עניא (beth anya, “house of wretchedness”). This etymology is highly disputed; see Bethany.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 915 | 350 |
| 2012 | 904 | 352 |
| 2013 | 803 | 386 |
| 2014 | 829 | 393 |
| 2015 | 770 | 415 |
| 2016 | 692 | 460 |
| 2017 | 629 | 497 |
| 2018 | 658 | 475 |
| 2019 | 550 | 552 |
| 2020 | 483 | 602 |
| 2021 | 465 | 637 |
| 2022 | 444 | 665 |
| 2023 | 390 | 721 |
| 2024 | 389 | 725 |
| 2025 | 362 | 752 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 13 | 3,249 |
| 1984 | 10 | 3,946 |
| 1985 | 9 | 4,364 |
| 1986 | 7 | 5,393 |
| 1987 | 13 | 3,545 |
| 1988 | 5 | 7,397 |
| 1989 | 15 | 3,632 |
| 1990 | 7 | 6,476 |
| 1991 | 5 | 8,340 |
| 1992 | 7 | 6,733 |
| 1993 | 6 | 7,730 |
| 1995 | 5 | 9,008 |
| 1999 | 7 | 7,954 |
| 2001 | 5 | 10,751 |
| 2004 | 8 | 8,220 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 913 | 64 |
| 2012 | 868 | 73 |
| 2013 | 710 | 77 |
| 2014 | 648 | 86 |
| 2015 | 648 | 85 |
| 2016 | 556 | 103 |
| 2017 | 450 | 122 |
| 2018 | 370 | 140 |
| 2019 | 277 | 179 |
| 2020 | 207 | 226 |
| 2021 | 219 | 227 |
| 2022 | 161 | 284 |
| 2023 | 143 | 304 |
| 2024 | 72 | 539 |
| 2025 | 67 | 585 |

## People named Bethany

- Bethany Hamilton, American surfer (born 1990)
- Bethany Joy Lenz, American actress
- Bethany England, English footballer
- Bethany Shriever, English bicycle motocross rider (born 1999)
- Bethany Mota, American vlogger
- Bethany Firth, British swimmer
- Bethany Benz, American-Ukrainian pornographic actress, reality show participant and model
- Bethany Antonia, British actress
- Bethany Galat, American swimmer
- Bethany Bos, American soccer player
- Hannah Jeter, American model

## 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.