Bethany

Did you know?

A few things about Bethany you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Bethany

Bethany Hamilton

American surfer (born 1990)

Choose Bethany and your child shares a first name with Bethany Hamilton, an American surfer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Bethany, like who?” Bethany Hamilton's Wikipedia article is available in 36 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Bethany Hamilton on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,440 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Bethany, 362 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Bethany would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryBethany first shows up in US birth records in 1915, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 110 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1987, when it ranked #87. Today it's #751, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowBethany was 5.4× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 829 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 4,440.
• 🍂TrendBethany has slipped 150 places over the last five years and now sits at #751. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedBethany is most popular in Pennsylvania, where it ranks #349, followed by Kentucky (#383) and Wisconsin (#420). It's in the top 1,000 in 20 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Hebrew, Bethany means “house of figs”.

About the name Bethany

Bethany is a girl name of English origin meaning “house of figs”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with B and ending in “-any”. US birth records list Bethany for girls from 1915 to 2025, in 111 of those 111 years. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked #87 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #751, with 362 babies.

Origin:English names