Explore the Family Name Betty

The meaning of Betty

1. English: from a diminutive of the Middle English personal name Bett(e) (see Bett). 2. French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Betto, an assimilated form of Berto (see Bert). 3. Americanized form of Italian Betti. Some characteristic forenames: French Francois, Jean-Paul.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Betty in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Betty has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the name ranked 16,540 in popularity with a count of 1,599 individuals carrying this surname for every 100,000 people. By 2010, however, the rank dropped to 18,694 with only 1,470 individuals per 100,000 carrying the surname Betty, marking an overall decrease of 8.07% in its usage.

20002010Change
Rank#16,540#18,694-13.02%
Count1,5991,470-8.07%
Proportion per 100k0.590.5-15.25%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Betty

In terms of ethnic identity, the census data revealed that most bearers of the surname Betty were predominantly White, accounting for 75.23% in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 73.27% in 2010. The second most common ethnicity was Black, which increased from 19.70% in 2000 to 20.54% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw the most significant increase, rising from 0.31% in 2000 to 0.95% in 2010. There was also a small increase among those identifying as Hispanic, climbing from 2.81% in 2000 to 3.20% in 2010. The proportion of individuals claiming two or more races remained relatively stable, increasing marginally from 1.31% in 2000 to 1.43% in 2010. Those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased slightly from 0.63% in 2000 to 0.61% in 2010.

20002010Change
White75.23%73.27%-2.61%
Black19.7%20.54%4.26%
Hispanic2.81%3.2%13.88%
Two or More Races1.31%1.43%9.16%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.31%0.95%206.45%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.63%0.61%-3.17%