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At a Glance: Name: Beth – Meaning: pet form of Elizabeth (also short for Bethany or Bethan); no fixed meaning of its own – Origin: English (hypocoristic form) – Gender: used for both boys and girls – Pronunciation: BETH
Beth is a pet form of Elizabeth, and sometimes of Bethany or Bethan, so it doesn't carry a fixed meaning of its own — it's English in origin, born as a nickname rather than a standalone word. You may have heard that Beth means 'house,' but that mixes it up with the unrelated Hebrew word beth; as documented, it's simply a shortened, familiar form of those longer names.
Meaning & Origin of Beth
Meaning: Pet form of Elizabeth (also short for Bethany or Bethan); no fixed meaning of its own.
Origin: English (hypocoristic form).
A common claim: Beth is said to mean 'house' (from Hebrew) or is just short for Elizabeth Actually: The 'house' gloss confuses Beth with the unrelated Hebrew word/letter beth ('house'); as documented, Beth is a pet form of Elizabeth, Bethany, or Bethan, not a direct translation of 'house.'
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Beth
Phonetic: BETH IPA: /bɛθ/
Popularity of Beth
Beth peaked at #65 in 1961, when 6,716 baby girls were given the name, but by 2024 it had fallen all the way to #3046 with just 53 babies, a steep decline across SSA records that stretch back to 1884.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1884–2024.
Make Beth Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Beth, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Beth mean?
Pet form of Elizabeth (also short for Bethany or Bethan); no fixed meaning of its own. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Beth)
How do you pronounce Beth?
Beth is pronounced BETH (IPA: /bɛθ/).
Is Beth a popular name right now?
Beth peaked at #65 in 1961 and is ranked #3046 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1884–2024.)
📊 How popular is Beth? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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