Betsie
A pet form of Elizabeth, a feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my oath."
Name Census estimates that about 166 living Americans carry the first name Betsie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Betsie today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Betsie births was 1980 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Betsie. 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
166
~ 1 in 2,064,785 Americans
Peak year
1980
11 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2021 SSA rank
#15,633
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Betsie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Betsie from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 59 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Betsie 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 Betsie 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 Betsie
The name Betsie is a diminutive form of the name Elizabeth, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "God is my oath" or "consecrated to God." The name Elizabeth first appeared in the Bible as the name of the wife of Aaron, the brother of Moses. It is a name with a rich history, spanning various cultures and eras.
Betsie is believed to have emerged as a Dutch or Frisian diminutive form of Elizabeth, with the possible influence of the Frisian word "bêtse," meaning "little girl." This nickname form gained popularity in the Netherlands and surrounding regions during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Betsie can be found in the writings of the Dutch philosopher and theologian Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), who mentioned a woman named Betsie in his letters. This suggests that the name was in use during the 16th century in the Netherlands and neighboring areas.
In the 17th century, the name Betsie gained further recognition with the life story of Betsie Bouman (1628-1706), a Dutch woman who was accused of witchcraft and subsequently exonerated. Her ordeal and eventual acquittal became a notable event in Dutch history.
Another prominent figure associated with the name Betsie was Betsie ten Boom (1885-1986), a Dutch watchmaker and Christian who, along with her family, helped shelter Jewish refugees during World War II. She and her sister Corrie were imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp for their efforts. Betsie's unwavering faith and acts of kindness during her incarceration inspired many.
In the literary world, the name Betsie is immortalized in the character of Betsie Tulliver from George Eliot's novel "The Mill on the Floss" (1860). Betsie Tulliver, the younger sister of the protagonist Maggie, is portrayed as a good-natured and loyal character, providing a glimpse into the perception of the name during the Victorian era.
Other notable individuals with the name Betsie include Betsie Sengers (1908-1997), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II, and Betsie Gallardo (born 1956), a Mexican-American artist and educator known for her work in promoting cultural awareness and diversity.
While the name Betsie may have originated as a diminutive form, it has gained its own unique identity and continues to be used as a given name in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with Dutch and Frisian cultural influences.
People
Betsie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Betsie 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
Betsie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Betsie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 166 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Betsie 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 2,064,785 US residents.
Is Betsie a common name?
We classify Betsie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 211 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Betsie most popular?
The single biggest year for Betsie was 1980, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Betsie is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Betsie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Betsie 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.