Bethany

For many more names, please return to Edgar's Main Page.

Bethany

Gender: Feminine
Language: English
Etymology:
Bethany comes from a Hebrew name meaning “House of Sorrow,” or “House of Figs.”

History:
Bethany as a first name, began life sometime after the 18th century when some girls were named Mary Bethany, adopted by Roman Catholics in honor of the Biblical figure Mary of Bethany (sister to Martha and Lazarus). The name, however, was rare. Another example of this phenomenon comes from girls being named Mary Magdalene in honor of Mary of Magdala, or (in Spain) Maria de Dolores (“Mary of the Sorrows”).

In the latter half of the 20th century, Bethany became fairly common in the United States, no doubt due to the unrelated name Beth (short for Elizabeth). Beth was becoming quite popular by the late 1940s and 1950s. This led to the adoption of names like Marybeth and Bethany (which rather sounds like Beth plus Annie).

Bethany was at its most common in the 1980s, about twenty years after Beth was at its most common.

Pronunciation: beth-ann-ee

Alternates: Bethanee, Bethani, Bethanie, Betheny, Bethenny, Bethann.
Latin: Bethania.

Famous Bearers:
Places:
Bethany
Small village near Jerusalem.
Bethany College
Bethany, West Virginia.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.039 % named Bethany
0.001 % named Bethanie

Popularity of Bethany:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-1948: N/A
1949: 904th most popular.
1950: 802nd most popular.
1951: 722nd most popular.
1952: 790th most popular.
1953: 850th most popular.
1954: 705th most popular.
1955: 728th most popular.
1956: 792nd most popular.
1957: 804th most popular.
1958: 843rd most popular.
1959: 710th most popular.
1960: 691st most popular.
1961: 692nd most popular.
1962: 636th most popular.
1963: 531st most popular.
1964: 511th most popular.
1965: 483rd most popular.
1966: 452nd most popular.
1967: 431st most popular.
1968: 419th most popular.
1969: 372nd most popular.
1970: 356th most popular.
1971: 364th most popular.
1972: 309th most popular.
1973: 243rd most popular.
1974: 216th most popular.
1975: 217th most popular.
1976: 192nd most popular.
1977: 176th most popular.
1978: 155th most popular.
1979: 135th most popular.
1980: 124th most popular.
1981: 114th most popular.
1982: 112th most popular.
1983: 99th most popular.
1984: 93rd most popular.
1985: 94th most popular.
1986: 90th most popular.
1987: 87th most popular. - Peak!
1988: 89th most popular.
1989: 102nd most popular.
1990: 108th most popular.
1991: 111th most popular.
1992: 118th most popular.
1993: 120th most popular.
1994: 119th most popular.
1995: 121st most popular.
1996: 119th most popular.
1997: 125th most popular.
1998: 135th most popular.
1999: 141st most popular.
2000: 156th most popular.
2001: 165th most popular.
2002: 182nd most popular.
2003: 206th most popular.
2004: 211th most popular.

Selected Sources:
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Penguin Dictionary of First Names, Pickering, 1999
The Academy of St. Gabriel (www.s-gabriel.org) - For information on medieval names.

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 (www.ssa.gov) - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)