How Many People Are Named Beth?
An estimated 122,498 people in the United States have the first name Beth. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #450 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 59 years old, and Beth peaked in popularity in 1961 with 6,731 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Beth as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Beth paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Beth is overwhelmingly female, 325 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Beth has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
122,498
About 1 in 2,798 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.8% confidence
Average Age
59
years old
Peak Year
1961
6,731 births
Total Registered
159,710
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Beth
Beth is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 159,710 total births registered, 99.8% were female.
Beth as a male name
Ranked #8,027 in 1989
5 male births in 1989
Peak: 1963 (19 births)
Beth as a female name
Ranked #3,046 in 2024
53 female births in 2024
Peak: 1961 (6,716 births)
Beth: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Beth span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 58,518 babies were registered. Beth has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Beth by Decade
How has Beth tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 77 | 0 | 77 | |
| 1890s | 240 | 0 | 240 | |
| 1900s | 334 | 0 | 334 | |
| 1910s | 2,027 | 0 | 2,027 | |
| 1920s | 3,101 | 0 | 3,101 | |
| 1930s | 3,311 | 0 | 3,311 | |
| 1940s | 8,661 | 0 | 8,661 | |
| 1950s | 34,040 | 54 | 33,986 | |
| 1960s | 58,518 | 135 | 58,383 | |
| 1970s | 28,948 | 86 | 28,862 | |
| 1980s | 15,423 | 50 | 15,373 | |
| 1990s | 3,457 | 0 | 3,457 | |
| 2000s | 942 | 0 | 942 | |
| 2010s | 412 | 0 | 412 | |
| 2020s | 219 | 0 | 219 | |
Beth by State
Birth registrations for Beth span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii. On average, about 3,039 Beths were registered per state.
Beth + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Beth as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Beth
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
Beth: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Beth?
We estimate approximately 122,498 people named Beth are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,798 Americans share this first name.
Is Beth a common name?
Beth is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 159,710 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Beth most popular?
Beth reached peak popularity in 1961, when 6,731 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Beth is approximately 59 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Beth a female name?
Beth is predominantly female. 99.8% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Beth Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Beth Smith, Beth Johnson, Beth Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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