Betsy

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Betsy

Betsy Blair

American actress (1923–2009)

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

Read about Betsy Blair on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: trailer screenshot (United Artists), Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 25,510 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Betsy, 63 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Betsy would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryBetsy has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Betsys, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1959, when it ranked #228. Today it's #2,719, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowBetsy was 2.2× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 11,561 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 25,510.
• 🍂TrendBetsy has slipped 654 places over the last five years and now sits at #2,719. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningBetsy is an English form of Elizabeth, which means “pledged to God”. Our records link it to American, English and Hebrew roots.

About the name Betsy

Betsy is a girl name of American, English and Hebrew origin meaning “pledged to God”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with B and ending in “-tsy”. US birth records list Betsy for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked #228 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #2,719, with 63 babies.

Origin:American namesEnglish namesHebrew names