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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201939peak #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 1939

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #26 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 55 girlsAKMaine: #12 for girls · 85 births · 1 in 72 girlsMEVermont: #9 for girls · 56 births · 1 in 42 girlsVTNew Hampshire: #26 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 87 girlsNHWashington: #15 for girls · 165 births · 1 in 65 girlsWAIdaho: #8 for girls · 73 births · 1 in 56 girlsIDMontana: #8 for girls · 97 births · 1 in 43 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #7 for girls · 105 births · 1 in 49 girlsNDMinnesota: #20 for girls · 268 births · 1 in 79 girlsMNIllinois: #11 for girls · 821 births · 1 in 65 girlsILWisconsin: #15 for girls · 328 births · 1 in 72 girlsWIMichigan: #13 for girls · 643 births · 1 in 65 girlsMINew York: #32 for girls · 617 births · 1 in 138 girlsNYMassachusetts: #51 for girls · 162 births · 1 in 174 girlsMARhode Island: #87 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 302 girlsRIOregon: #11 for girls · 113 births · 1 in 58 girlsORNevada: #5 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 29 girlsNVWyoming: #10 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 45 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #8 for girls · 108 births · 1 in 44 girlsSDIowa: #10 for girls · 386 births · 1 in 49 girlsIAIndiana: #13 for girls · 516 births · 1 in 49 girlsINOhio: #8 for girls · 976 births · 1 in 52 girlsOHPennsylvania: #12 for girls · 997 births · 1 in 73 girlsPANew Jersey: #15 for girls · 285 births · 1 in 87 girlsNJConnecticut: #24 for girls · 94 births · 1 in 105 girlsCTCalifornia: #10 for girls · 658 births · 1 in 69 girlsCAUtah: #15 for girls · 64 births · 1 in 74 girlsUTColorado: #5 for girls · 191 births · 1 in 46 girlsCONebraska: #10 for girls · 174 births · 1 in 52 girlsNEMissouri: #4 for girls · 774 births · 1 in 35 girlsMOKentucky: #2 for girls · 1,367 births · 1 in 20 girlsKYWest Virginia: #2 for girls · 700 births · 1 in 27 girlsWVVirginia: #2 for girls · 919 births · 1 in 26 girlsVAMaryland: #8 for girls · 287 births · 1 in 42 girlsMDDelaware: #9 for girls · 37 births · 1 in 42 girlsDEArizona: #3 for girls · 92 births · 1 in 50 girlsAZNew Mexico: #2 for girls · 105 births · 1 in 53 girlsNMKansas: #9 for girls · 256 births · 1 in 48 girlsKSArkansas: #2 for girls · 820 births · 1 in 22 girlsARTennessee: #2 for girls · 1,245 births · 1 in 22 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #2 for girls · 1,466 births · 1 in 25 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #2 for girls · 790 births · 1 in 27 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #12 for girls · 89 births · 1 in 63 girlsDCOklahoma: #3 for girls · 687 births · 1 in 29 girlsOKLouisiana: #2 for girls · 670 births · 1 in 34 girlsLAMississippi: #2 for girls · 659 births · 1 in 33 girlsMSAlabama: #2 for girls · 1,195 births · 1 in 24 girlsALGeorgia: #2 for girls · 1,371 births · 1 in 23 girlsGAHawaii: #13 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 76 girlsHITexas: #3 for girls · 1,452 births · 1 in 39 girlsTXFlorida: #3 for girls · 528 births · 1 in 26 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Kentucky#2 · 1 in 20
  2. Tennessee#2 · 1 in 22
  3. Arkansas#2 · 1 in 22
  4. Georgia#2 · 1 in 23
  5. Alabama#2 · 1 in 24

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Alabama#21,1951 in 24
Arkansas#28201 in 22
Georgia#21,3711 in 23
Kentucky#21,3671 in 20
Louisiana#26701 in 34
Mississippi#26591 in 33
New Mexico#21051 in 53
North Carolina#21,4661 in 25
South Carolina#27901 in 27
Tennessee#21,2451 in 22
Virginia#29191 in 26
West Virginia#27001 in 27
Arizona#3921 in 50
Florida#35281 in 26
Oklahoma#36871 in 29
Texas#31,4521 in 39
Missouri#47741 in 35
Colorado#51911 in 46
Nevada#5161 in 29
North Dakota#71051 in 49
Idaho#8731 in 56
Maryland#82871 in 42
Montana#8971 in 43
Ohio#89761 in 52
South Dakota#81081 in 44
Delaware#9371 in 42
Kansas#92561 in 48
Vermont#9561 in 42
California#106581 in 69
Iowa#103861 in 49
Nebraska#101741 in 52
Wyoming#10351 in 45
Illinois#118211 in 65
Oregon#111131 in 58
District of Columbia#12891 in 63
Maine#12851 in 72
Pennsylvania#129971 in 73
Hawaii#13431 in 76
Indiana#135161 in 49
Michigan#136431 in 65
New Jersey#152851 in 87
Utah#15641 in 74
Washington#151651 in 65
Wisconsin#153281 in 72
Minnesota#202681 in 79
Connecticut#24941 in 105
Alaska#2651 in 55
New Hampshire#26351 in 87
New York#326171 in 138
Massachusetts#511621 in 174
Rhode Island#87141 in 302

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 1939

girls
#4
23,639 births · 1 in 46 girls
boys
#498
130 births · 1 in 8,514 boys

Top girls' names in 1939

  1. #1Mary54,900
  2. #2Barbara37,257
  3. #3Patricia29,701
  4. #4Betty23,639
  5. #5Shirley20,447
  6. #6Carol20,166
  7. #7Nancy19,723
  8. #8Judith16,625
  9. #9Dorothy15,169
  10. #10Margaret14,949

Top boys' names in 1939

  1. #1Robert59,666
  2. #2James59,636
  3. #3John51,025
  4. #4William42,071
  5. #5Richard35,386
  6. #6Charles30,789
  7. #7David25,360
  8. #8Donald24,056
  9. #9Thomas22,129
  10. #10Ronald19,837
  11. #498Betty130
More about 1939

girls

1,096,612 girls got a published name in 1939; 1 in 46 of them was named Betty, which outranked 99.9% of the 4,950 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Betty
  1. #1Mary54,900
  2. #2Barbara37,257
  3. #3Patricia29,701
  4. #4Betty23,639
  5. #5Shirley20,447
  6. #6Carol20,166
  7. #7Nancy19,723
Biggest movers since 1938
Risers
  1. ↑ 880April#1,805 → #925
  2. ↑ 865Karel#1,703 → #838
  3. ↑ 725Hedy#1,650 → #925
  4. ↑ 722Vivien#1,703 → #981
  5. ↑ 709Karon#1,547 → #838
Fallers
  1. ↓ 712Eulalia#972 → #1,684
  2. ↓ 446Shelvia#955 → #1,401
  3. ↓ 358Naoma#992 → #1,350
  4. ↓ 304Imelda#890 → #1,194
  5. ↓ 279Helaine#870 → #1,149

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

boys

1,106,852 boys got a published name in 1939; 1 in 8,514 of them was named Betty, which outranked 87.4% of the 3,968 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Betty
  1. #495Basil135
  2. #495Denver135
  3. #497Fernando131
  4. #498Betty130
  5. #499Everette129
  6. #500Bradford128
  7. #501Arden127
Biggest movers since 1938
Risers
  1. ↑ 463Alfonzo#1,439 → #976
  2. ↑ 447Rod#1,439 → #992
  3. ↑ 443Estel#1,397 → #954
  4. ↑ 422Cameron#1,364 → #942
  5. ↑ 421Turner#1,337 → #916
Fallers
  1. ↓ 518Gonzalo#779 → #1,297
  2. ↓ 497Judge#992 → #1,489
  3. ↓ 396Melville#963 → #1,359
  4. ↓ 355Agustin#883 → #1,238
  5. ↓ 351Antone#921 → #1,272

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

See the top 100 for 1939 →