Find out how popular the last name Betha is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Betha.

Betha, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Betha surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Betha in America

Betha is the 67747th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Betha surname appeared 291 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Betha.

We can also compare 2010 data for Betha to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Betha

The surname Betha is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "beth," which means "prayer" or "supplication." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who was particularly devout or involved in religious activities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Betha can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a collection of medieval charters and deeds from the region of Westphalia, dating back to the 12th century. In this document, there is a reference to a landowner named Bertoldus Betha, who lived in the village of Brockhausen.

During the 13th century, the name Betha appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium. In the Dutch city of Leiden, for example, there are records of a merchant named Jan Betha, who was active in the textile trade around 1275.

In the 15th century, the name Betha gained some prominence in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, where a family of that name held significant landholdings and influence. One notable member of this family was Hans Betha (1430-1498), who served as a magistrate and alderman in the city of Dessau.

Another individual of note bearing the surname Betha was the German scholar and theologian Johannes Betha (1492-1548). He was a professor at the University of Wittenberg and was known for his writings on biblical exegesis and his support for the Protestant Reformation.

In the 17th century, the Betha name can be found in various records from the Swiss canton of Bern, where it is believed that a branch of the family may have settled after fleeing religious persecution in Germany. One example from this period is Peter Betha (1602-1678), who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Thun.

Over the centuries, the name Betha has also appeared in various spellings and variations, such as Betha, Bethau, Bethaus, and Betthaus, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas where the name was found.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Betha

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Betha.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Betha was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Betha has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Betha was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Betha, please contact us.

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