Total births
89
Girls' name · since 1981
Bethan
Bethan has 89 recorded births since 1981 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1988 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 89
- total births
- 1981–2012
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 44%
- born in that decade
Bethan sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 89 recorded since 1981.
Bethan has 89 recorded births among girls since 1981, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1981 to 2012.
- 89 total births
- 1981–2012 years on record
- 1980s peak decade
- 44% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
89 girls have been named Bethan since 1981, peaking in the 1980s, last recorded in 2012.
- 89
- total births
- 1981–2012
- years on record
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 44%
- born in that decade
1980s
Peak decade
44% of everyone ever named Bethan was born in this single decade.
1988
Single peak year
9 babies were named Bethan in 1988 - its busiest year on record.
Bethan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Bethan's full recorded timeline at 1993, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1981, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1988 peak of 9 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Bethan at a glance
Last recorded 2012Peak year
1988
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1981
Bethan popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1981–2012
- Peak year (1988)
- 9
- Annual births at peak, across 32 years of records
Bethan by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Bethan's strongest decade.
39 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 44% of all-time use.
Bethan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s
1980s
39 births
- 1990s
1990s
24 births
- 2000s
2000s
21 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 39 births (44% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bethan? ▼
Since 1981, Social Security records show 89 babies named Bethan. The most recent recorded year was 2012. Its busiest year on record was 1988, with 9 births.
When was Bethan most popular? ▼
Bethan was most popular in the 1980s decade with 39 total births. The single peak year was 1988.
How long has the name Bethan been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Bethan since 1981 -- 32 years through the most recent 2012 data.
What names are similar to Bethan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Betty, Beth, Bethany, Betsy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Bethan's data
- Bethan's decade-level peak was the 1980s (39 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bethan
Nearby Names Like Bethan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bethan
Betty Girl
#1012 1,001,238 births
Beth Girl
#3049 159,430 births
Bethany Girl
#725 100,902 births
Betsy Girl
#2415 48,947 births
Bettie Girl
#8443 38,395 births
Compare Bethan side by side: Bethan vs Betty Bethan vs Beth Bethan vs Bethany
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1981–2012 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bethan: Baby Name Since 1981 - 89 Births, Peak 1988." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bethan. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bethan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.