Bettyjo
A feminine given name formed from combining the Betty and Jo names.
Name Census estimates that about 437 living Americans carry the first name Bettyjo. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Bettyjo today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bettyjo births was 1965 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bettyjo. 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
437
~ 1 in 784,335 Americans
Peak year
1965
31 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
2021 SSA rank
#15,634
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Bettyjo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bettyjo from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 152 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bettyjo 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 Bettyjo 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 Bettyjo
The name Bettyjo is a relatively modern combination of the two names Betty and Jo. Betty is a pet form of the name Elizabeth, derived from the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "God is my oath" or "God's promise." The name Elizabeth has been popular throughout history, with notable bearers including Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902), a prominent figure in the women's rights movement.
Jo, on the other hand, is a diminutive form of the name Josephine, which itself is the feminine form of the Hebrew name Joseph, meaning "he will add." Josephine has been a popular name throughout history, with notable bearers including Josephine Bonaparte (1763-1814), the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, and Josephine Baker (1906-1975), an American-born French dancer and singer.
The combination of Betty and Jo into Bettyjo likely emerged in the early to mid-20th century as a unique and playful variation of these traditional names. While the name's origins are relatively recent, it has gained popularity as a distinctive and memorable choice.
One notable bearer of the name Bettyjo was Bettyjo Hallock (1921-2001), an American actress and television personality who appeared in various films and television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. Another notable figure was Bettyjo Monahan (1923-2021), an American politician and educator who served as the first woman mayor of Tucson, Arizona, from 1971 to 1975.
Additionally, Bettyjo Cathy (born 1938) is the wife of S. Truett Cathy, the founder of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, and has been actively involved in the company's philanthropic efforts. Bettyjo Rambo (born 1950) is an American country music singer-songwriter who has penned several hit songs for various artists.
While historical records of the name Bettyjo may be limited due to its relatively recent origins, it has gained popularity as a unique and memorable choice, often reflecting a playful and creative spirit.
People
Bettyjo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bettyjo 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
Bettyjo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bettyjo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 437 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bettyjo 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 784,335 US residents.
Is Bettyjo a common name?
We classify Bettyjo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 771 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bettyjo most popular?
The single biggest year for Bettyjo was 1965, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bettyjo is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bettyjo a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bettyjo 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.