How Many People Are Named Bettye?
An estimated 6,930 people in the United States have the first name Bettye. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 78 years old, and Bettye peaked in popularity in 1933 with 763 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Bettye as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Bettye paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- With an average bearer age of 78, Bettye is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1958.
Estimated Living Americans
6,930
About 1 in 49,460 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
99.8% confidence
Average Age
78
years old
Peak Year
1933
763 births
Total Registered
22,967
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Bettye
Bettye is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 22,967 total births registered, 99.8% were female.
Bettye as a male name
Ranked #3,618 in 1942
5 male births in 1942
Peak: 1940 (8 births)
Bettye as a female name
Ranked #14,435 in 1998
5 female births in 1998
Peak: 1933 (763 births)
Bettye in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 8,510 people with the first name Bettye, which placed it at #2,747 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Bettye was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 8,510 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.1% were male and 99.9% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.8% of the time.
Census Count
8,510
people with this name
Census Rank
#2,747
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
2.82
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Bettye was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (51.03%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (46.37%) and Two or More Races (1.68%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Bettye in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Bettye.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 51.03% | 4,343 |
| Black | 46.37% | 3,946 |
| Two or More Races | 1.68% | 143 |
| Hispanic | 0.59% | 50 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.24% | 20 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.09% | 8 |
Bettye: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Bettye span from the 1880s to the 1990s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 7,080 babies were registered. Bettye has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Bettye by Decade
How has Bettye 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.
Bettye by State
Birth registrations for Bettye span all 27 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Tennessee, Alabama. The lowest are in Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan. On average, about 771 Bettyes were registered per state.
Bettye + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Bettye as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Bettye
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
Bettye: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bettye?
We estimate approximately 6,930 people named Bettye 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 49,460 Americans share this first name.
Is Bettye a common name?
Bettye is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 97.2% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 22,967 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Bettye most popular?
Bettye reached peak popularity in 1933, when 763 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Bettye is approximately 78 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Bettye in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 8,510 people with the first name Bettye. That placed it at #2,747 in the published Census first-name tables, or 2.82 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Bettye was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bettye?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Bettye was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.1% male and 99.9% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bettye?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Bettye was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (51.03%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (46.37%) and Two or More Races (1.68%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Bettye a female name?
Bettye is predominantly female. 99.8% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Bettye have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Bettye peaked in 1933, and the average living bearer is about 78 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Bettye Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Bettye Smith, Bettye Johnson, Bettye 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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