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Betsy

girl name
Origin
Hebrew
Syllables
2
Peak era
1950s/1960s
Today
▬ Steady

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Meaning

traditionally God is my oath

The formal names behind Betsy

Betsy is an established short form of this name.

Elizabeth · Hebrew origin · "God is my oath," from the Hebrew Elisheva; the great durable classic of English girl names, worn by two reigning queens and rarely out of the US top 30 in over a century of records. Its nickname wealth is unmatched: Liz, Beth, Eliza, Betsy, Libby

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Betsy across languages

One shared root links 26 names across 6 languages.

Shared root: from Hebrew Elisheva, "my God is an oath"

The constellation

BetsyEnglish · diminutiveElizabethEnglishElisabethGermanIsabelSpanishIsabellaItalianIsabelleFrenchIsobelScottish
19 more branches of this family
ElizaEnglish · short formEliseFrench · short formElyseEnglish · variantElisaItalian · short formElsaGerman · short formElsieScottish · diminutiveBethEnglish · short formBettyEnglish · diminutiveBettieEnglish · variantBetteEnglish · diminutiveBessieEnglish · diminutiveLizaEnglish · short formLizzieEnglish · diminutiveLisaEnglish · short formLizEnglish · short formLizbethEnglish · short formLizetteEnglish · diminutiveLibbyEnglish · diminutiveIsabellGerman · variant

Ways to honor Elizabeth →

How popular is Betsy around the world?

In the United States, 456 babies were named Betsy between 2020 and 2025. In England and Wales, 278 girls named Betsy were born in 2025, the 177th most common name among girls that year.

Betsy is on the official records of the United States, England and Wales, Scotland, Mexico City, Canada, Chile, Spain and Brazil.

United States

1 in 48,000

In the United States, 456 babies were named Betsy between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1950s2020s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Betsy peaked in the 1950s and the 1960s in nearly equal measure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

England and Wales

1 in 2,100

In England and Wales, 278 girls named Betsy were born in 2025, the 177th most common name among girls that year.

1996peak 20172025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

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Scotland

1 in 15,000

In Scotland, 3 girls named Betsy were registered in 2024, the 790th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Mexico City City

1 in 59,000

In Mexico City, there were 2 registrations of Betsy in 2022.

2000peak 20062022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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Canada

1 in 61,000

In Canada, 6 girls named Betsy were born in 2024, ranked 3,027th among girls that year.

peak 19932024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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Chile

1 in 89,000

In Chile, 2 girls were registered as Betsy in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 19762021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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Spain

1 in 420,000

In Spain, 107 residents are named Betsy, ranked 7,352nd among women, with a mean age of 38.8 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Argentina

last on record 2018

Betsy is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Brazil

At the 2022 census, 88 people in Brazil were named Betsy, ranked 45,127th, with a median age of 45.
Among people named Betsy living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.

peak 1970s1970s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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France

last on record 2007

Betsy is not on the 2025 record for France, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.

1960peak 19922025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Montevideo City

last on record 2006

Betsy is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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New Zealand

last on record 1931

Betsy is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

peak 19312025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

See the full list for New Zealand →

Puerto Rico

last on record 1998

Betsy is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 9 babies have carried the name there since 1998.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

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South Australia

last on record 1974

Betsy is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

See the full list for South Australia →

Not on the record in Ireland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.

Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Betsy

People given the name Betsy in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1989. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Betsy

Sadie Beth Joey Abby Libby Ruthie

Keep exploring

Name trails: explore connections from Betsy →

The Betsy deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Betsy 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 Betsy fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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