Given name & surname
Bethany
“house of figs”·“from the house of figs”
Bethany is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “house of figs” and “from the house of figs” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “house of figs” and “from the house of figs” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Ancient Greek Βηθανία, from Aramaic בית עניא (beth anya, “house of wretchedness”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bethany through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 101,086
- 184 boys · 100,902 girls
- Most popular year
- 1987
- 3,307 babies
- 2025
- 362
- #752 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −32%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 362 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 752 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 31.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 3,294 in 1987. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (48). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 89,509 as a first name in 2020; 910 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bethany’s family of names
In English usage, Bethany has a short form in Betty. Bethany has a related form in Bethanie. In English usage, Bethany has a diminutive in Beth.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 15
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Bethany
- Bethany HamiltonAmerican surfer (born 1990)
- Bethany Joy LenzAmerican actressborn 1981
- Bethany EnglandEnglish footballerborn 1994
- Beth ShrieverEnglish bicycle motocross rider (born 1999)
- Bethany MotaAmerican vloggerborn 1995
- Bethany Hall-LongPolitician and former Governor of Delawareborn 1963
- Bethany FirthBritish swimmerborn 1996
- Bethany AntoniaBritish actressborn 1997
- Bethany GalatAmerican swimmerborn 1995
Characters named Bethany: Beth Smith (Rick and Morty), Bethany Cabe (Marvel Comics).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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