Total births
34,897
Girls' name · since 1896
Bette
34,897 babies named Bette in U.S. Social Security records since 1896, with the highest year being 1924. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8984
- among girls today
- 34,897
- born since 1896
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Bette currently ranks #8984 among girls' names in America, with 34,897 babies recorded since 1896.
Bette has 34,897 recorded births among girls since 1896, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8984 as of the latest data, more common than 49% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1896 to 2025.
- #8984 among girls today
- 34,897 born since 1896
- 1920s peak decade
- 49% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bette is currently the #8984 girls' name in America, more common than 49% of girls - 34,897 born since 1896, peaking in the 1920s.
- #8984
- among girls today
- 34,897
- born since 1896
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 49%
- more common than other girls
Bette vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#8984
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 49% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
38% of everyone ever named Bette was born in this single decade.
1924
Single peak year
1,736 babies were named Bette in 1924 - its busiest year on record.
How Bette compares
34,897 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Bette's all-time total is 91x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bette | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 34,897 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,736 | 48 | 19,840 |
Bette's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bette's SSA record in two at 1956 and the more recent half accounts for 7% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 93%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1896, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1924 peak of 1,736, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bette at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1924
Current rank
#8,984
Active since
1896
Bette popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1896–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 1,736
- Annual births at peak, across 130 years of records
Bette popularity over time - boys
22 total births recorded since 1924 (Bette as boys' name)
Bette by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Bette's strongest decade.
13,273 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Bette births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 15
1890s
15 births
- 1900s 108
1900s
108 births
- 1910s 2,288
1910s
2,288 births
- 1920s
1920s
13,273 births
- 1930s
1930s
7,389 births
- 1940s
1940s
7,034 births
- 1950s 3,438
1950s
3,438 births
- 1960s 890
1960s
890 births
- 1970s 181
1970s
181 births
- 1980s 99
1980s
99 births
- 1990s 45
1990s
45 births
- 2000s 17
2000s
17 births
- 2010s 65
2010s
65 births
- 2020s 55
2020s
55 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 13,273 births (38% of all-time use).
How Bette 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 Bette's total volume
Bette vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Bette by state
Where Bette concentrates geographically, total births since 1896
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 2,727 | 7.8% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 2,553 | 7.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 2,457 | 7.0% |
| #4 | California | | 2,175 | 6.2% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 2,093 | 6.0% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 1,902 | 5.5% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 1,375 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 1,319 | 3.8% |
Pennsylvania share of Bette's total US births 7.8%
Even split
2,727 of 34,897 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Bette appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bette? ▼
Bette has been given to 34,897 babies in the U.S. since 1896, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #8984 as of the latest data. 1,736 babies were born in 1924, its single highest year.
When was Bette most popular? ▼
Bette was most popular in the 1920s decade with 13,273 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Bette most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bette are Pennsylvania (2,727 births), Illinois (2,553 births), New York (2,457 births).
How long has the name Bette been used? ▼
Records for Bette go back to 1896, giving 130 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Bette? ▼
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 Bette's data
- Bette's decade-level peak was the 1920s (13,273 total births); usage has since declined to 55 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Bettes (2,727 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Bette
Nearby Names Like Bette
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bette
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 Bette side by side: Bette vs Betty Bette vs Beth Bette vs Bethany
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bette
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, 1896–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bette: #8984 Girls' Name - 34,897 Births, Peak 1924." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bette. 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 Bette 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.