Bethany

femaleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Bethany: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Bethany: Recorded since 1991, it reached #11 in 1999, and it stood at #544 in 2025.

5registrars recorded it
101times a registrar ranked it
35years from first to last
#11highest recorded position
20groupings it qualifies for
25names it appears alongside

What stands out in Bethany's record

England and Wales registered 4,271 births with the name in 1996, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count
Held at least one birth in every 2,000 for 21 years. Names by sustained share
Appears alongside 25 other names across 5 kinds of recorded relationship. All recorded relationships

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#13
1997	#14
1998	#14
1999	#11
2000	#13
2001	#17
2002	#17
2003	#24
2004	#28
2005	#40
2006	#43
2007	#50
2008	#55
2009	#53
2010	#59
2011	#64
2012	#73
2013	#77
2014	#86
2015	#85
2016	#103
2017	#122
2018	#140
2019	#179
2020	#226
2021	#227
2022	#284
2023	#304
2024	#539

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in 33 of the 35 years from 1991 to 2025.

In 2024: #253 among girls in Northern Ireland, #384 among girls in Scotland, #539 among girls in England and Wales, #556 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

Official data from 5 national registrars across 5 regions, 1991–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1991
First recorded at #457 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1991 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #11 among girls in England and Wales, in 1999 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #544 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls

Bethany appears in 4 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Girls, which has ranked it in 33 years beginning in 1991, and has registered 359 births with the name.

Bethany across 4 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Bethany's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#457 (1991)	#179 (2003)	#544 (2025)	33 of 35	359 (1991–2025)	22 (2003)
England and Wales · Girls	#13 (1996)	#11 (1999)	#539 (2024)	29 of 29	43,223 (1996–2024)	4,271 (1996)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#53 (1997)	#32 (1998)	#253 (2024)	28 of 28	985 (1997–2024)	72 (1998)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#99 (1994)	#73 (1997)	#100 (2004)	10 of 11	899 (1994–2004)	108 (1997)

Bethany by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Bethany in Republic of Ireland · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1990s	44	7 of 10	6
2000sbusiest	145	10 of 10	15
2010s	126	10 of 10	13
2020s	44	6 of 10	7

Across Republic of Ireland · Girls, the 2000s were its busiest decade, averaging 15 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Bethany appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1991 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #11 in England and Wales in 1999.

Bethany's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	female	#539	72	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	female	#304	143	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	female	#284	161	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	female	#227	219	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	female	#226	207	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	female	#179	277	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	female	#140	370	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	female	#122	450	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	female	#103	556	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	female	#85	648	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	female	#86	648	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	female	#77	710	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	female	#73	868	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	female	#64	913	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	female	#59	1,010	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	female	#53	1,135	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	female	#55	1,144	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	female	#50	1,234	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	female	#43	1,371	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	female	#40	1,512	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	female	#28	1,723	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	female	#24	2,205	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	female	#17	2,627	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	female	#17	2,805	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	female	#13	3,730	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	female	#11	4,072	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	female	#14	4,068	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	female	#14	4,074	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	female	#13	4,271	High	Verified
2004	New South Wales, Australia	female	#100	72	Insufficient	Not yet available
2003	New South Wales, Australia	female	#96	78	Insufficient	Not yet available
2002	New South Wales, Australia	female	#88	85	Insufficient	Not yet available
2001	New South Wales, Australia	female	#75	100	Insufficient	Not yet available
2000	New South Wales, Australia	female	#86	87	Insufficient	Not yet available
1999	New South Wales, Australia	female	#86	92	Insufficient	Not yet available
1998	New South Wales, Australia	female	#73	108	Insufficient	Not yet available
1997	New South Wales, Australia	female	#73	108	Insufficient	Not yet available
1996	New South Wales, Australia	female	#98	83	Insufficient	Not yet available
1994	New South Wales, Australia	female	#99	86	Insufficient	Not yet available
2024	Northern Ireland	female	#253	6	High	Verified
2023	Northern Ireland	female	#159	12	High	Verified
2022	Northern Ireland	female	#243	7	High	Verified
2021	Northern Ireland	female	#237	7	High	Verified
2020	Northern Ireland	female	#134	15	High	Verified
2019	Northern Ireland	female	#131	16	High	Verified
2018	Northern Ireland	female	#101	24	High	Verified
2017	Northern Ireland	female	#130	18	High	Verified
2016	Northern Ireland	female	#92	28	High	Verified
2015	Northern Ireland	female	#101	24	High	Verified
2014	Northern Ireland	female	#99	24	High	Verified
2013	Northern Ireland	female	#99	25	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	female	#61	42	High	Verified
2011	Northern Ireland	female	#70	34	High	Verified
2010	Northern Ireland	female	#65	37	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	female	#70	34	High	Verified
2008	Northern Ireland	female	#61	37	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	female	#68	33	High	Verified
2006	Northern Ireland	female	#50	41	High	Verified
2005	Northern Ireland	female	#46	43	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	female	#54	36	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	female	#34	70	High	Verified
2002	Northern Ireland	female	#37	64	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	female	#39	64	High	Verified
2000	Northern Ireland	female	#33	64	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	female	#34	63	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	female	#32	72	High	Verified
1997	Northern Ireland	female	#53	45	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	female	#544	6	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	female	#556	6	High	Verified
2023	Republic of Ireland	female	#445	8	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	female	#357	11	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	female	#517	7	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	female	#544	6	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	female	#362	11	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	female	#474	8	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	female	#524	7	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	female	#335	13	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	female	#462	9	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	female	#427	10	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	female	#273	18	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	female	#317	16	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	female	#285	18	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	female	#319	16	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	female	#331	14	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	female	#341	14	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	female	#307	14	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	female	#367	10	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	female	#347	10	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	female	#257	14	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	female	#179	22	High	Verified
2002	Republic of Ireland	female	#197	19	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	female	#225	15	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	female	#251	13	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	female	#267	10	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	female	#380	5	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	female	#440	5	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	female	#393	6	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	female	#352	7	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	female	#350	7	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	female	#457	4	High	Verified
2024	Scotland	female	#384	8	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
New South Wales, Australia hub — collected by NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland
Scotland hub — collected by National Records of Scotland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 5 registrars between 1991 and 2025, ranked in 33 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #11, first reached in 1999.

It held a top-100 place in 22 years, 21 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 4,271 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

Its record falls into 2 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 2 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1994, and 33 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Beth · #40, 34y
Bethan · #72, 30y
Bethel · #1371, 24y
Bethlehem · #2438, 17y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 5 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Freddie · #10, 30y
Brittany · #14, 32y
Finley · #16, 30y
Shania · #16, 30y

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1990 and 1999.

Aria · #11, 30y
Bonnie · #11, 33y
Finlay · #11, 30y
Paige · #11, 36y

Comparisons involving Bethany

Existing comparison pages where Bethany and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Bethany in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Shannon vs Bethany
In 1996 they stood at #11 and #13 in England and Wales · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2024 they were #1743 and #539.
Shannon · Bethany · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 England and Wales ranking
Bethany vs Eleanor
In 1996 they stood at #13 and #22 in England and Wales · Girls, 9 places apart; by 2024 they were #539 and #67.
Bethany · Eleanor · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 England and Wales ranking
Emma vs Bethany
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #13 in England and Wales · Girls, 1 places apart; by 2024 they were #69 and #539.
Emma · Bethany · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 England and Wales ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Bethany and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Olivia vs Bethany
In 1999, Olivia moved ahead of Bethany in England and Wales · Girls — #16 and #14 the year before became #4 and #11.
Olivia · Bethany · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 1999 England and Wales ranking
Bethany vs Cara
In Northern Ireland · Girls, Cara moved into the top 50 at #24 in 2004 as Bethany fell out of it to #54, having been #34 the year before.
Bethany · Cara · 28 shared years, 1997–2024 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2004 Northern Ireland ranking
Bethany vs Gemma
In Northern Ireland · Girls, Bethany moved into the top 50 at #32 in 1998 as Gemma fell out of it to #53, having been #35 the year before.
Bethany · Gemma · 19 shared years, 1997–2016 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 1998 Northern Ireland ranking

Compared inside England and Wales lists

Pairs involving Bethany measured in England and Wales's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Bethany at its highest position.

Jessica vs Bethany
In 1996 they stood at #3 and #13 in England and Wales · Girls, 10 places apart; by 2024 they were #95 and #539.
Jessica · Bethany · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 England and Wales ranking
Hannah vs Bethany
In 1996 they stood at #6 and #13 in England and Wales · Girls, 7 places apart; by 2024 they were #107 and #539.
Hannah · Bethany · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 England and Wales ranking
Lucy vs Bethany
In 1996 they stood at #15 and #13 in England and Wales · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2024 they were #123 and #539.
Lucy · Bethany · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 England and Wales ranking

England and Wales overview→

Bethany was ranked #11 in England and Wales · Girls in 1999. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Bethany and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Bethany without appearing here.

Bethany moved ahead of

Siobhán Compare
In 2017 they stood at #524 and #396 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2018 that had become #474 and #896.
Amanda Compare
In 2021 they stood at #517 and #322 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2022 that had become #357 and #747.
Linda Compare
In 2021 they stood at #517 and #517 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2022 that had become #357 and #747.
Paula Compare
In 2021 they stood at #544 and #375 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 2022 that had become #357 and #747.

Moved ahead of Bethany

Elise Compare
In 2023 they stood at #304 and #356 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2024 that had become #539 and #320.
Nicole Compare
In 2023 they stood at #304 and #347 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2024 that had become #539 and #328.
Kayla Compare
In 2023 they stood at #304 and #353 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2024 that had become #539 and #332.
Laila Compare
In 2023 they stood at #304 and #311 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2024 that had become #539 and #333.

Moved the opposite way to Bethany

Ada Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Bethany went from #13 to #539 while Ada went from #2683 to #40.
Alma Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Bethany went from #13 to #539 while Alma went from #2096 to #234.
Alyssa Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Bethany went from #13 to #539 while Alyssa went from #783 to #285.
Amalie Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Bethany went from #13 to #539 while Amalie went from #2096 to #1128.

Moved the same way as Bethany

May Compare
Between 1994 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Bethany went from #350 to #544 and May from #502 to #718.
Abigail Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Bethany went from #13 to #539 and Abigail from #21 to #154.
Aimee Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Bethany went from #13 to #539 and Aimee from #70 to #1603.
Aisling Compare
Between 1996 and 2024 in England and Wales · Girls, Bethany went from #13 to #539 and Aisling from #440 to #2000.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1991 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #11 in England and Wales in 1999. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Bethany

Bethany at a glance

What stands out in Bethany's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Bethany across 4 official records

Bethany by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Bethany appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Comparisons involving Bethany

Longest shared records

Order changes

Compared inside England and Wales lists

Names published alongside Bethany

Bethany and the names beside it

Bethany moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Bethany

Moved the opposite way to Bethany

Moved the same way as Bethany

Bethany at a glance

What stands out in Bethany's record

Bethany across 4 official records

Bethany by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Bethany appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Comparisons involving Bethany

Longest shared records

Order changes

Compared inside England and Wales lists

Names published alongside Bethany

Bethany and the names beside it

Bethany moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Bethany

Moved the opposite way to Bethany

Moved the same way as Bethany