Bethany
Meaning
biblical place name, traditionally 'house of figs'
The story
Bethany began as a place before it was ever a person: the little village on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, just outside Jerusalem, where the Gospels say Jesus stayed with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and whose Hebrew name is usually read as house of figs. As a given name it is a fairly modern choice, quietly present in American records for generations before finding real momentum in the second half of the twentieth century, and it has held a steady, modest place ever since. For many families the name now carries one bearer above all: Bethany Hamilton, the Hawaiian surfer who lost her left arm to a shark attack at thirteen, was back on a board within a month, and went on to compete professionally, her story reaching millions through the film Soul Surfer. A gentle biblical place name with an unmistakably brave modern face.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Bethany peaked in the 1980s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
132 people · the #33,941 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 2
Among people named Bethany living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 82 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Bethany
Most people given the name Bethany in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The Bethany you meet today is most often in her 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Bethany deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Bethany truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Bethany fits with your family’s names and surname.
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