US rank #2402 Girls' name Peak 1959 48,881 births

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.

1880s1661890s1731900s1891910s8411920s25511930s39291940s69801950s105611960s85581970s54611980s40581990s20142000s18052010s12032020s392
#2402
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 86% of names given to girls today.

1950s
Peak decade

22% of everyone ever named Betsy was born in this single decade.

1959
Single peak year

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 1,000

Total births

48,881

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1959

1,390 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#2,402

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Betsy popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1959)
1,390
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 14

Betsy popularity over time — boys

10 total births recorded since 1942 (Betsy as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 10 births
5 19611942 5

Betsy by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
10,561 births that decade — 22% of Betsy's all-time total
1880s1661890s1731900s1891910s8411920s25511930s39291940s69801950s105611960s85581970s54611980s40581990s20142000s18052010s12032020s392

Betsy by state

Where Betsy concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Betsy
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%
New York share of Betsy's total US births 9.2%
Even split

4,488 of 48,881 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.

Betsy appears in 50 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Betsy?
48,881 babies have been named Betsy since 1880. It currently ranks #2402 among girls. The peak year was 1959 with 1,390 births.
When was Betsy most popular?
Betsy was most popular in the 1950s decade with 10,561 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Betsy most popular?
The top states for the name Betsy are New York (4,488 births), Pennsylvania (3,635 births), California (3,141 births).
How long has the name Betsy been used?
Betsy has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Betsy?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Betty, Beth, Bethany, Bettie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Betsy

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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.