Bethanee
A feminine variant of Bethany, derived from Hebrew meaning "house of the Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the first name Bethanee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bethanee today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bethanee births was 1994 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bethanee. 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.
People living today
183
~ 1 in 1,872,975 Americans
Peak year
1994
13 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2012 SSA rank
#11,409
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Bethanee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bethanee from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 80 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bethanee 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 Bethanee 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 Bethanee
Bethanee is a feminine given name with origins that can be traced back to the Hebrew language. It is a variant spelling of the name Bethany, which itself is derived from the Aramaic word "Beit Anee" or "Beit Anya," meaning "house of dates" or "house of the poor." The name is believed to have originated in the biblical town of Bethany, located near Jerusalem.
The earliest known reference to the name Bethany can be found in the New Testament of the Bible, where it is mentioned as the home of Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. This biblical connection has made the name popular among Christians throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Bethanee was Bethanee de Bethune (c. 1230 - c. 1300), a French noblewoman and landowner from the County of Artois. In England, the name gained some popularity during the 16th and 17th centuries, with notable figures such as Bethanee Culpeper (c. 1580 - 1658), an English courtier and author.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name saw increased usage, particularly in the United States. One prominent figure was Bethanee Franklin (1712 - 1788), an American author, printer, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
In the 20th century, the name continued to be used, albeit less frequently. One notable bearer was Bethanee Merriday (1901 - 1982), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively about the American West.
Another interesting historical figure with the name Bethanee was Bethanee Wilkinson (1904 - 1995), a British historian and academic who specialized in the study of medieval England.
While the name Bethanee has never been extremely common, it has maintained a presence throughout history, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, including literature, politics, and academia.
People
Bethanee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bethanee 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
Bethanee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bethanee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 183 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bethanee 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 1,872,975 US residents.
Is Bethanee a common name?
We classify Bethanee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 188 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bethanee most popular?
The single biggest year for Bethanee was 1994, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bethanee is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bethanee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bethanee 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.
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.