Bette

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Bette

Bette Davis

American actress (1908–1989)

Choose Bette and your child shares a first name with Bette Davis, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Bette, like who?” Bette Davis's Wikipedia article is available in 109 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Bette Davis on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Studio Publicity, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 200,000 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Bette, 8 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Bette would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryBette first shows up in US birth records in 1896, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 129 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1923, when it ranked #148. Today it's #10,917, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🚀TrendBette has climbed 1,225 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #10,917. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 💬MeaningBette is an English form of Elizabeth, which means “pledged to God”. Our records link it to American, English and French roots.

About the name Bette

Bette is a girl name of American, English and French origin meaning “pledged to God”. It has 5 letters and 1 syllable, starting with B and ending in “-tte”. US birth records list Bette for girls from 1896 to 2025, in 116 of those 130 years. Its best year was 1923, when it ranked #148 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #10,917, with 8 babies.

Origin:American namesEnglish namesFrench namesHebrew names