Total births
100,902
Girls' name · since 1915
Bethany
100,902 babies named Bethany in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 1987. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #725
- among girls today
- 100,902
- born since 1915
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Bethany is the #725 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 100,902 recorded since 1915.
Bethany has 100,902 recorded births among girls since 1915, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #725 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, 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 1915 to 2025.
- #725 among girls today
- 100,902 born since 1915
- 1980s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bethany is currently the #725 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 100,902 born since 1915, peaking in the 1980s.
- #725
- among girls today
- 100,902
- born since 1915
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Bethany vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#725
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Bethany was born in this single decade.
1987
Single peak year
3,294 babies were named Bethany in 1987 - its busiest year on record.
How Bethany compares
100,902 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bethany's all-time total is 264x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bethany | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 100,902 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,294 | 48 | 19,840 |
Bethany's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Bethany splits its recorded history at 1970: 94% of all births land in the more recent half, 6% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1915 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1987 peak of 3,294 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Bethany at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1987
Current rank
#725
Active since
1915
Bethany popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–2025
- Peak year (1987)
- 3,294
- Annual births at peak, across 111 years of records
Bethany popularity over time - boys
184 total births recorded since 1970 (Bethany as boys' name)
Bethany by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Bethany's strongest decade.
29,331 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Bethany births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 46
1910s
46 births
- 1920s 119
1920s
119 births
- 1930s 164
1930s
164 births
- 1940s 471
1940s
471 births
- 1950s 1,514
1950s
1,514 births
- 1960s 3,807
1960s
3,807 births
- 1970s
1970s
12,180 births
- 1980s
1980s
29,331 births
- 1990s
1990s
27,753 births
- 2000s
2000s
15,369 births
- 2010s 7,615
2010s
7,615 births
- 2020s 2,533
2020s
2,533 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 29,331 births (29% of all-time use).
How Bethany compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Bethany's total volume
Bethany vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Bethany by state
Where Bethany concentrates geographically, total births since 1915
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 7,827 | 7.8% |
| #2 | California | | 7,572 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 6,075 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 5,424 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 5,114 | 5.1% |
| #6 | New York | | 4,139 | 4.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 3,636 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 3,249 | 3.2% |
Texas share of Bethany's total US births 7.8%
Even split
7,827 of 100,902 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Bethany appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bethany? ▼
Since 1915, Social Security records show 100,902 babies named Bethany. Today it holds rank #725 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1987, with 3,294 births.
When was Bethany most popular? ▼
Bethany was most popular in the 1980s decade with 29,331 total births. The single peak year was 1987.
Where is Bethany most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bethany are Texas (7,827 births), California (7,572 births), Ohio (6,075 births).
How long has the name Bethany been used? ▼
Bethany has been recorded in Social Security data since 1915, spanning 111 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Bethany? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Betty, Beth, Betsy, Bettie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Bethany's data
- Bethany's decade-level peak was the 1980s (29,331 total births); usage has since declined to 2,533 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Bethanys (7,827 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- 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 Bethany
Nearby Names Like Bethany
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bethany
Betty Girl
#1012 1,001,238 births
Beth Girl
#3049 159,430 births
Betsy Girl
#2415 48,947 births
Bettie Girl
#8443 38,395 births
Bette Girl
#8984 34,897 births
Compare Bethany side by side: Bethany vs Betty Bethany vs Beth Bethany vs Betsy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bethany
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1915–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bethany: #725 Girls' Name - 100,902 Births, Peak 1987." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bethany. 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 Bethany 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 June 2026.