Unisex name · since 1890
Bethel
5,221 babies named Bethel in U.S. Social Security records since 1890, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2,496 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,395 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,221
- born since 1890
- 1920s
- peak decade
Bethel currently ranks #3395 among unisex names in America, with 5,221 babies recorded since 1890.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bethel has been recorded 5,221 times among girls since 1890, currently ranked #3395 nationally and more common than 80% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1890 to 2025.
- #2,496 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,395 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 5,221 born since 1890
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bethel ranks #2,496 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,395 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 5,221 born since 1890, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2,496 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,395 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,221
- born since 1890
- 1920s
- peak decade
Bethel's 5,221 recorded births place it above 96.54% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
28 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Kentucky.
How Bethel compares
5,221 Top 13% higher than 87% of 17,297 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
Bethel's all-time total is 14x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bethel | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,221 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 119 | 21 | 19,840 |
Bethel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Bethel's full recorded timeline at 1957, 36% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 64% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1890, with just 6 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1922 peak of 119 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Bethel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1890–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 119
- Annual births at peak, across 136 years of records
Bethel popularity over time - boys
1,016 total births recorded since 1891 (Bethel as boys' name)
Bethel by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (977 births, 19% of the file).
1920s was Bethel's strongest decade.
977 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Bethel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 141
1890s
141 births
- 1900s 262
1900s
262 births
- 1910s
1910s
798 births
- 1920s
1920s
977 births
- 1930s
1930s
606 births
- 1940s
1940s
392 births
- 1950s 250
1950s
250 births
- 1960s 224
1960s
224 births
- 1970s 130
1970s
130 births
- 1980s 107
1980s
107 births
- 1990s 111
1990s
111 births
- 2000s 324
2000s
324 births
- 2010s
2010s
611 births
- 2020s 288
2020s
288 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 977 births (19% of all-time use).
How Bethel 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 Bethel's total volume
Bethel by state
Where Bethel concentrates geographically, total births since 1890
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Kentucky | | 251 | 4.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 184 | 3.5% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 159 | 3.0% |
| #4 | California | | 154 | 2.9% |
| #5 | West Virginia | | 120 | 2.3% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 72 | 1.4% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 58 | 1.1% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 55 | 1.1% |
251 of 5,221 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 28 reporting states.
Bethel appears in 28 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bethel? ▼
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When was Bethel most popular? ▼
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What to do with Bethel's data
- Bethel's decade-level peak was the 1920s (977 total births); usage has since declined to 288 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Kentucky records the most Bethels (251 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Kentucky names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bethel
Nearby Names Like Bethel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bethel
Compare Bethel side by side: Bethel vs Betty Bethel vs Beth Bethel vs Bethany
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bethel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bethel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1922)
Similar record span (~135 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1890–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Bethel 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 August 2026.