Berthena
A feminine name of unclear origin, potentially a blend of "Bertha" and "Athena".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Berthena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Berthena today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Berthena births was 1953 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Berthena. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Berthena is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Berthenas were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Berthena. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1953
8 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1953 SSA rank
#4,263
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Berthena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Berthena from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 22 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1930s peak, Berthena remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Berthena by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Berthena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Berthena
The name Berthena is derived from the Old German masculine name Berthold, which itself is a combination of the elements "beraht" meaning "bright" and "waldan" meaning "to rule." The earliest known spelling of the feminine form Berthena dates back to the 12th century in parts of Germany and the Low Countries.
During the Middle Ages, Berthena was a relatively common name among the nobility and upper classes in regions like Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It held associations with strength, leadership, and radiance, reflecting the name's etymological roots. While not as widely documented as some other medieval names, scattered records from monasteries and noble families mention women bearing this name from the 12th to 15th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Berthena was a Benedictine nun who lived in the late 12th century at the Monastery of St. Walburg in Eichstätt, Bavaria. Little is known about her life beyond her name appearing in records from the convent.
In the 14th century, a noblewoman named Berthena von Isenburg is mentioned in chronicles from the Rhineland region. She was the wife of Count Johann II von Isenburg-Grenzau and played a role in managing the family's estates and lands during her husband's frequent absences.
Moving into the Renaissance era, Berthena Fugger was a member of the wealthy and influential Fugger family of merchants and bankers in Augsburg, Germany. Born in 1492, she married into the noble Rechberg family and became known for her charitable works and patronage of the arts.
Another notable Berthena was a 16th-century artist from Nuremberg, Berthena Schmid. While little of her artwork survives today, records indicate she was a skilled painter and illustrator who created religious works and portraits for wealthy patrons in the city.
In the 17th century, Berthena von Boineburg was a German noblewoman and landowner who oversaw extensive agricultural and mining operations in her family's territories in Hesse. She was known for her business acumen and efforts to improve living conditions for her workers and tenants.
While the name Berthena has largely fallen out of common usage in modern times, it retains a sense of historical richness and connection to the medieval German lands where it once flourished. Its blend of strength and elegance made it a fitting choice for noble and accomplished women across several centuries.
People
Berthena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Berthena as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Berthena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Berthena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Berthena going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Berthena a common name?
We classify Berthena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 54 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Berthena most popular?
The single biggest year for Berthena was 1953, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Berthena is about 80 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Berthena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Berthena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Berthena in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Berthena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Berthena in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Berthena can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Berthena?
Find out how many people share the name Berthena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.