Beth
Short form of Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva, read as my God is an oath or my God is abundance.
Beth in 2025
Beth was given to 45 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 6,013th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 73,674 babies born.
The history of Beth
Beth reached its highest point in 1961, when 6,731 babies were given the name, ranking 129th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 123rd, in 1964.
Across the 142 years of records since 1884, 159,755 babies have been named Beth. Half of them were born before 1964, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Beth by decade
| Decade | Babies named Beth | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 77 | 821 |
| 1890s | 240 | 833 |
| 1900s | 334 | 815 |
| 1910s | 2,027 | 626 |
| 1920s | 3,101 | 653 |
| 1930s | 3,311 | 508 |
| 1940s | 8,661 | 372 |
| 1950s | 34,041 | 148 |
| 1960s | 58,519 | 123 |
| 1970s | 28,946 | 167 |
| 1980s | 15,423 | 216 |
| 1990s | 3,457 | 755 |
| 2000s | 942 | 2,137 |
| 2010s | 412 | 5,699 |
| 2020s | 264 | 5,411 |
Where Beth is heading
Beth has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 44 babies in 2015 to 45 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1961 peak — Beth is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Beth
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Beth.