Betty
Pronounced B EH1 T IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1930
- 145 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Betty?
Betty is a girls' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 1,040,398 children — the 16th most common girls' name on record.
It peaked in 1930, went quiet for most of a century, and is climbing again. Its best single year was 1930, when 39,018 children were given it.
Bette is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Betty and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Bette
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- B EH1 T IY0
- Stress pattern:
- 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Betty
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Betty
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Betty?
- Betty ranks 16th among girls' names in US records, with 1,040,398 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 2,079.
- Is Betty a unisex name?
- No. Betty is recorded almost entirely as a girls' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Betty most popular?
- 1930, when 39,018 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Betty spelled?
- Bette. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.