Betsy — #2402 US girls' name
48,881 babies named Betsy in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1959. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
More common than 86% of names given to girls today.
22% of everyone ever named Betsy was born in this single decade.
1,390 babies were named Betsy in 1959 — its busiest year on record.
What the Data Says About Betsy
The Social Security Administration has registered 48,881 babies named Betsy between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Betsy currently holds the #2402 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1959, when 1,390 babies received it in a single year.
Decade-level aggregation shows that Betsy performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 10,561 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Betsy shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 4,488 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Betsy in 50 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.
No etymological entry is currently available for Betsy in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 48,881 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.
Betsy at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Betsy popularity over time — girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (1959)
- 1,390
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #2402 among girls.
48,881 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1959 with 1,390 births in a single year.
Betsy popularity over time — boys
10 total births recorded since 1942 (Betsy as boys' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The boys' variant of Betsy accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Betsy by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1950s
- 10,561 births that decade — 22% of Betsy's all-time total
Betsy decade highlights
- Peak decade 10,561 births
- Runner-up 8,558 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1950s was Betsy's strongest decade
10,561 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 22% of all-time use.
Betsy by state
Where Betsy concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 4,488 | 9.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 3,635 | 7.4% |
| #3 | California | | 3,141 | 6.4% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 3,018 | 6.2% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 2,964 | 6.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 2,351 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 2,082 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,739 | 3.6% |
4,488 of 48,881 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 9.2% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 7.4% of nationwide
- California 6.4% of nationwide
- North Carolina 6.2% of nationwide
- Ohio 6.1% of nationwide
Recorded in 50 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 9.2% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Betsy appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Sources
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.