The first name Bette
A girl’s name.
Pronounced /bɛt/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Bette last appeared in the official list in 2022, given to 3 girls. It peaked in 2021, with 5 births (#3,961).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Bette with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Bette at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 8 girls born in the United States were named Bette, the 11,103rd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1924, when 1,736 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Bette
3 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Bette DavisAmerican actress (1908–1989)
- Bette MidlerAmerican singer and actress (born 1945)
- Bette KorberAmerican computational biologist, born 1950
Questions
- How popular is the name Bette?
- In 2022, 3 girls born in England and Wales were named Bette, ranking 5,669th. Its peak was 2021, with 5 births.
- Is Bette a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 34,919 US babies named Bette since 1880 were girls.
- When was Bette most popular?
- 1924 in the United States, when 1,736 babies were named Bette, its highest rank at 151st.
- How do you pronounce Bette?
- Bette is /bɛt/, 2 syllables.
- What name is Bette a form of?
- Bette is a form of Betty.