Betty

#1,113 for girls in 2025, 212 births · Last seen for boys in 1988 at #6,426
Given to girls 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1930 · 38,240 births
Debut · girls
117 births
In top 100 · girls
61 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
1,001,238
since 1880

Betty over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201938peak #2, 1930girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1,113212—
2024#1,012253—
2023#1,186202—
2022#1,157210—
2021#1,187205—
2020#1,173198—
2019#1,377163—
2018#1,130216—
2017#1,317177—
2016#1,327179—
2015#1,266192—
2014#1,240196—
2013#1,321177—
2012#1,552141—
2011#1,372167—
2010#1,593136—
2009#1,516150—
2008#1,605141—
2007#1,645135—
2006#1,567138—
2005#1,525135—
2004#1,453140—
2003#1,365148—
2002#1,480129—
2001#1,277154—
2000#1,150176—
1999#1,088183—
1998#1,010197—
1997#1,019189—
1996#904217—
1995#830236—
1994#751276—
1993#725292—
1992#722296—
1991#642346—
1990#572406—
1989#561399—
1988#552395#6,4266
1987#497436#6,9515
1986#510408—
1985#437502#6,5235
1984#423504—
1983#390564#5,4846
1982#364635—
1981#354662#4,9617
1980#358658—
1979#331710—
1978#321714—
1977#293808#5,8455
1976#262908#4,9356
1975#2371,021#3,9418
1974#2281,131#3,31810
1973#1961,322#2,51315
1972#2041,364—
1971#1751,764#3,14610
1970#1691,966#3,5218
1969#1542,135#2,30814
1968#1532,133#1,83619
1967#1372,543#2,24213
1966#1212,946#1,72320
1965#1033,566#1,85618
1964#1024,070#2,11415
1963#1044,156#2,20014
1962#974,763#2,11715
1961#875,584#2,14815
1960#686,501#1,48629
1959#597,313#1,70922
1958#547,715#1,39631
1957#508,479#1,41131
1956#449,218#1,31734
1955#369,924#1,68221
1954#3610,620#1,24236
1953#3311,369#1,50825
1952#3212,129#1,15241
1951#2912,822#1,15039
1950#2613,615#1,28931
1949#2214,936#1,20535
1948#1816,625#1,07943
1947#1718,966#1,08145
1946#1419,711#98047
1945#1118,387#78262
1944#1019,761#72074
1943#1021,596#67789
1942#921,659#591111
1941#720,905#535121
1940#522,077#550115
1939#423,639#498130
1938#425,506#551110
1937#525,337#523122
1936#425,868#529116
1935#428,674#461151
1934#231,089#430170
1933#231,531#442156
1932#234,420#429169
1931#236,105#459151
1930#238,240#476156
1929#236,675#510133
1928#236,083#560119
1927#335,424#607105
1926#332,964#66091
1925#332,812#70384
1924#430,600#81768
1923#525,989#91356
1922#620,895#1,22235
1921#817,638#1,17837
1920#1114,016#1,50525
1919#1510,106#1,75219
1918#218,803#1,64821
1917#346,639#2,7329
1916#445,136#2,9268
1915#534,181#2,31011
1914#622,933#2,10110
1913#672,240#2,4966
1912#662,011—
1911#691,456—
1910#691,389#1,5895
1909#771,082#1,4405
1908#721,128#1,1137
1907#771,018#1,3455
1906#81865—
1905#85807#1,2335
1904#91707#8748
1903#98596—
1902#101580—
1901#112473—
1900#100665—
1899#119410—
1898#126421—
1897#132367—
1896#139342—
1895#131350—
1894#144298—
1893#139298—
1892#155255—
1891#146239—
1890#164216—
1889#159189—
1888#148214—
1887#144178—
1886#147167—
1885#144155—
1884#149144—
1883#150120—
1882#144123—
1881#140112—
1880#136117—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Betty was already there! It came in at #136, and was given to 117 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1886, when fewer than 170 girls a year got the name.

Where Betty is popular in 1938

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #6 for girls · 10 births · 1 in 28 girlsAKMaine: #16 for girls · 84 births · 1 in 74 girlsMEVermont: #6 for girls · 68 births · 1 in 35 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #21 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 75 girlsNHWashington: #10 for girls · 178 births · 1 in 62 girlsWAIdaho: #8 for girls · 97 births · 1 in 43 girlsIDMontana: #6 for girls · 101 births · 1 in 39 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #5 for girls · 122 births · 1 in 43 girlsNDMinnesota: #15 for girls · 330 births · 1 in 64 girlsMNIllinois: #12 for girls · 912 births · 1 in 61 girlsILWisconsin: #12 for girls · 376 births · 1 in 63 girlsWIMichigan: #12 for girls · 727 births · 1 in 58 girlsMINew York: #25 for girls · 714 births · 1 in 120 girlsNYMassachusetts: #49 for girls · 169 births · 1 in 166 girlsMARhode Island: #46 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 139 girlsRIOregon: #11 for girls · 114 births · 1 in 55 girlsORNevada: #3 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 24 girlsNVWyoming: #4 for girls · 45 births · 1 in 35 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #7 for girls · 98 births · 1 in 47 girlsSDIowa: #11 for girls · 400 births · 1 in 47 girlsIAIndiana: #7 for girls · 626 births · 1 in 42 girlsINOhio: #7 for girls · 1,069 births · 1 in 48 girlsOHPennsylvania: #11 for girls · 1,187 births · 1 in 63 girlsPANew Jersey: #19 for girls · 267 births · 1 in 93 girlsNJConnecticut: #24 for girls · 107 births · 1 in 92 girlsCTCalifornia: #6 for girls · 694 births · 1 in 64 girlsCAUtah: #16 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 75 girlsUTColorado: #5 for girls · 240 births · 1 in 37 girlsCONebraska: #8 for girls · 195 births · 1 in 46 girlsNEMissouri: #4 for girls · 915 births · 1 in 29 girlsMOKentucky: #2 for girls · 1,369 births · 1 in 21 girlsKYWest Virginia: #2 for girls · 800 births · 1 in 24 girlsWVVirginia: #3 for girls · 942 births · 1 in 25 girlsVAMaryland: #6 for girls · 283 births · 1 in 44 girlsMDDelaware: #7 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 41 girlsDEArizona: #3 for girls · 100 births · 1 in 47 girlsAZNew Mexico: #2 for girls · 129 births · 1 in 43 girlsNMKansas: #5 for girls · 301 births · 1 in 41 girlsKSArkansas: #2 for girls · 818 births · 1 in 23 girlsARTennessee: #2 for girls · 1,333 births · 1 in 20 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #2 for girls · 1,662 births · 1 in 22 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #2 for girls · 771 births · 1 in 27 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #11 for girls · 94 births · 1 in 53 girlsDCOklahoma: #3 for girls · 714 births · 1 in 28 girlsOKLouisiana: #3 for girls · 693 births · 1 in 32 girlsLAMississippi: #2 for girls · 663 births · 1 in 34 girlsMSAlabama: #2 for girls · 1,241 births · 1 in 24 girlsALGeorgia: #2 for girls · 1,358 births · 1 in 23 girlsGAHawaii: #6 for girls · 52 births · 1 in 58 girlsHITexas: #3 for girls · 1,622 births · 1 in 36 girlsTXFlorida: #3 for girls · 526 births · 1 in 26 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Tennessee#2 · 1 in 20
  2. Kentucky#2 · 1 in 21
  3. North Carolina#2 · 1 in 22
  4. Georgia#2 · 1 in 23
  5. Arkansas#2 · 1 in 23

Best ever in a state: #1 in Washington, 1923.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alabama#21,2411 in 24
Arkansas#28181 in 23
Georgia#21,3581 in 23
Kentucky#21,3691 in 21
Mississippi#26631 in 34
New Mexico#21291 in 43
North Carolina#21,6621 in 22
South Carolina#27711 in 27
Tennessee#21,3331 in 20
West Virginia#28001 in 24
Arizona#31001 in 47
Florida#35261 in 26
Louisiana#36931 in 32
Nevada#3171 in 24
Oklahoma#37141 in 28
Texas#31,6221 in 36
Virginia#39421 in 25
Missouri#49151 in 29
Wyoming#4451 in 35
Colorado#52401 in 37
Kansas#53011 in 41
North Dakota#51221 in 43
Alaska#6101 in 28
California#66941 in 64
Hawaii#6521 in 58
Maryland#62831 in 44
Montana#61011 in 39
Vermont#6681 in 35
Delaware#7371 in 41
Indiana#76261 in 42
Ohio#71,0691 in 48
South Dakota#7981 in 47
Idaho#8971 in 43
Nebraska#81951 in 46
Washington#101781 in 62
District of Columbia#11941 in 53
Iowa#114001 in 47
Oregon#111141 in 55
Pennsylvania#111,1871 in 63
Illinois#129121 in 61
Michigan#127271 in 58
Wisconsin#123761 in 63
Minnesota#153301 in 64
Maine#16841 in 74
Utah#16641 in 75
New Jersey#192671 in 93
New Hampshire#21411 in 75
Connecticut#241071 in 92
New York#257141 in 120
Rhode Island#46311 in 139
Massachusetts#491691 in 166

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Betty
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 101 spots since 2024 (#1,012 → #1,113)
  • 60 spots since 2020 (#1,173 → #1,113)
  • 153 spots since 2015 (#1,266 → #1,113)
  • Biggest jump: 19 spots in 1900 (#119 → #100)
  • Biggest drop: 115 spots in 1997 (#904 → #1,019)
Rise & fade · girls
50 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1930 at #2 (38,240 births)
  • Births halved by 1945, 15 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 10 for 24 yrs
  • Top 10: 24 yrs · run 1921–1944
  • Top 100: 61 yrs · run 1903–1962
  • Top 1,000: 117 yrs · run 1880–1996
Share of babies · girls
1 in 29
  • Highest: 1 in 29 girls born in 1930 were named Betty (3.4%)
  • Latest: 1 in 7,581 girls born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · girls
The 1930s
  • 30.0% of all girls named Betty (300,409) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,519#136 (1880)#146
1890s3,196#119 (1899)#140
1900s7,921#72 (1908)#89
1910s44,894#15 (1919)#50
1920s283,096#2 (1929)#5
1930s300,409#2 (1930)#3
1940s194,623#5 (1940)#12
1950s103,204#26 (1950)#40
1960s38,397#68 (1960)#113
1970s11,708#169 (1970)#242
1980s5,163#354 (1981)#445
1990s2,638#572 (1990)#826
2000s1,446#1,150 (2000)#1,458
2010s1,744#1,130 (2018)#1,350
2020s1,280#1,012 (2024)#1,138

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Betty in 1938

girls
#4
25,506 births · 1 in 43 girls
boys
#551
110 births · 1 in 10,083 boys

Top girls' names in 1938

  1. #1Mary56,225
  2. #2Barbara39,277
  3. #3Patricia27,560
  4. #4Betty25,506
  5. #5Shirley23,766
  6. #6Carol19,421
  7. #7Nancy18,951
  8. #8Dorothy16,358
  9. #9Margaret15,330
  10. #10Joan14,303

Top boys' names in 1938

  1. #1Robert62,271
  2. #2James59,102
  3. #3John50,517
  4. #4William42,433
  5. #5Richard34,385
  6. #6Charles31,151
  7. #7Donald26,677
  8. #8David22,994
  9. #9Thomas21,381
  10. #10Ronald20,295
  11. #551Betty110
More about 1938

girls

1,103,456 girls got a published name in 1938; 1 in 43 of them was named Betty, which outranked 99.9% of the 4,995 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Betty
  1. #1Mary56,225
  2. #2Barbara39,277
  3. #3Patricia27,560
  4. #4Betty25,506
  5. #5Shirley23,766
  6. #6Carol19,421
  7. #7Nancy18,951
Biggest movers since 1937
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,209Danielle#2,940 → #731
  2. ↑ 833Lorelei#1,451 → #618
  3. ↑ 623Helaine#1,493 → #870
  4. ↑ 399Janine#1,330 → #931
  5. ↑ 392Imelda#1,282 → #890
Fallers
  1. ↓ 1,261Noreta#964 → #2,225
  2. ↓ 513Norita#532 → #1,045
  3. ↓ 432Noretta#856 → #1,288
  4. ↓ 366Ferne#950 → #1,316
  5. ↓ 327Verdell#904 → #1,231

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,109,147 boys got a published name in 1938; 1 in 10,083 of them was named Betty, which outranked 86.3% of the 4,035 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Betty
  1. #548Claud111
  2. #548Rafael111
  3. #548Vito111
  4. #551Betty110
  5. #551Andre110
  6. #551Bud110
  7. #551Burl110
  8. #559Alphonse108
  9. #559Dwain108
  10. #559Elroy108

Tied with 7 names at #551; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1937
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,314Dion#2,197 → #883
  2. ↑ 448Tex#1,212 → #764
  3. ↑ 425Lonny#1,233 → #808
  4. ↑ 401Gonzalo#1,180 → #779
  5. ↑ 383Lance#722 → #339
Fallers
  1. ↓ 741Worth#1,000 → #1,741
  2. ↓ 528Estel#869 → #1,397
  3. ↓ 492Milburn#845 → #1,337
  4. ↓ 412Lonzo#835 → #1,247
  5. ↓ 405Joy#932 → #1,337

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1938 →