Bertha
From the Germanic element beraht, bright; it was clipped from longer compounds such as Berahthild and was borne by Charlemagne's mother.
Bertha in 2025
Bertha was given to 30 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 7,916th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 110,511 babies born.
The history of Bertha
Bertha reached its highest point in 1918, when 5,065 babies were given the name, ranking 91st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 17th, in 1891.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 208,807 babies have been named Bertha. Half of them were born before 1919, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Bertha by decade
| Decade | Babies named Bertha | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 18,351 | 18 |
| 1890s | 25,224 | 17 |
| 1900s | 24,363 | 25 |
| 1910s | 40,250 | 45 |
| 1920s | 38,754 | 102 |
| 1930s | 21,403 | 176 |
| 1940s | 16,309 | 256 |
| 1950s | 11,293 | 365 |
| 1960s | 5,859 | 592 |
| 1970s | 2,717 | 938 |
| 1980s | 1,692 | 1,348 |
| 1990s | 1,400 | 1,730 |
| 2000s | 686 | 3,082 |
| 2010s | 330 | 5,876 |
| 2020s | 176 | 7,347 |
Where Bertha is heading
Bertha has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 30 babies in 2015 to 30 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1918 peak — Bertha is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Bertha
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Bertha.