Bette
Meaning
diminutive of Elizabeth, 'God is my oath'
Bette around the world
One shared root links 26 names across 6 languages.
Shared root: from Hebrew Elisheva "God is my oath"; medieval Iberia split off Isabel, and the nursery split off nearly everything else
The constellation
19 more branches of this family
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Bette peaked in the 1920s and the 1930s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
31 people · the #92,291 first name in Brazil · median age 49
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Bette
Most people given the name Bette in the United States were born between 1940 and 1959. The Bette you meet today is most often in her 70s or 80s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Bette deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Bette 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 Bette fits with your family’s names and surname.
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