Betzy
A feminine diminutive of Elizabeth, meaning "consecrated to God".
Name Census estimates that about 959 living Americans carry the first name Betzy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Betzy today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Betzy births was 2006 (229 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Betzy. 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
959
~ 1 in 357,408 Americans
Peak year
2006
229 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,336
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Betzy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Betzy from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 586 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Betzy 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 Betzy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Betzys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 13 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Betzy, while Oregon, Nevada, Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Betzy
The name Betzy is a diminutive form of the name Elizabeth, which is derived from the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "my God is an oath" or "my God is abundance." The name Elizabeth has its roots in the Old Testament and was borne by the mother of John the Baptist. It gained popularity in the Christian world due to its biblical origins.
The diminutive form Betzy emerged in the English language as a pet name or nickname for Elizabeth. It was particularly common in the 18th and 19th centuries among English and American families. The spelling variation "Betzy" is considered an archaic form, while the more modern spelling is typically "Betsy."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Betzy can be found in the diary of Samuel Pepys, an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament. In his diary entry dated March 23, 1666, he mentions a woman named "Betzy Hewlett." This suggests that the name was in use in 17th century England.
Betzy was a relatively uncommon name throughout history, but there are a few notable individuals who bore this name. One example is Betzy Zinsser (1734-1801), a Swiss author and educator who wrote several educational works for children. Another notable figure is Betzy Graves, an American philanthropist and advocate for women's education, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the realm of literature, Betzy is the name of a character in Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice," published in 1813. Betzy is the nickname used by Elizabeth Bennet, one of the main characters in the novel.
Another famous Betzy was Betzy Ross (1752-1836), an American upholsterer who is widely credited with sewing the first American flag, although the accuracy of this claim has been debated by historians.
Finally, Betzy Aartsma-Vis (1926-2015) was a Dutch politician and activist who served as a member of the European Parliament and was known for her advocacy of women's rights and environmental issues.
While the name Betzy has fallen out of common usage in recent times, it remains a part of the rich historical tapestry of English and American naming traditions, with its roots tracing back to biblical and literary sources.
People
Betzy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Betzy 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
Betzy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Betzy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 959 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Betzy 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 357,408 US residents.
Is Betzy a common name?
We classify Betzy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 974 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Betzy most popular?
The single biggest year for Betzy was 2006, when 229 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Betzy is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Betzy a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Betzy 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.