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Girl · Hebrew, through English
Betty
Say it: BET-ee
Meaning
A diminutive of Elizabeth.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
A pet form since the 18th century, it was among the top American girls' names in the 1920s and 1930s.
Its wave through time
A fashion of the 1930s
In the United States
- 1,003,725 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1930, about 1 in 29 girls
- 194 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Bettie, Bette
Famous bearers
- Betty Friedan, US writer
- Betty White, US actress
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Parish baptism registers
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.