Betty means God's oath — a diminutive of Elizabeth, the most comfortable and warm form of the most important queen-name. Betty White was America's most beloved entertainer — she lived to 99 and never stopped being funny. Betty Boop is animation's original sex symbol. Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique and started second-wave feminism. Two syllables of White-level beloved, Boop-level iconic, and Friedan-level revolutionary.
Betty is a diminutive of Elizabeth meaning God's oath. Betty White was America's most beloved entertainer. Betty Boop is animation's original icon. Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique and started second-wave feminism.
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First recorded
Earliest known use: Diminutive; Betty White (1922–2021).
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Today
Betty remains a beloved choice, ranking #1214 in the US. 1,004,638 babies have been named Betty since 1880.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, Oxford Dictionary of First Names, SSA data
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How popular is Betty?
1930peak year
Betty has settled into a steady rhythm — neither rising sharply nor fading, holding a consistent place in U.S. birth records. It currently ranks well outside the top 1,000 (around #1214), with about 199 babies named Betty each year. Its all-time peak came in 1930, when it climbed to #2 with 38,238 registrations — the heart of the 1930s. Total registrations across all years since 1880: roughly 1,004,638.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Betty's Life Path 6 is the nurturer's number — most-beloved nurturing. People named Betty tend to be warm, funny, and gifted at being America's most beloved person at any age.
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