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Beth

Girl name · 2,654 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Beth began life as a cherished short form of Elizabeth, ultimately from the Hebrew Elisheva, meaning "God is my oath" or "my God is abundance." It also shares its sound with the Hebrew word beth, meaning "house," which appears in biblical place names like Bethlehem and Bethany. The name gained literary fame through Jo March's beloved sister Beth in Louisa May Alcott's *Little Women*, and was carried by singer Beth Ditto and Scottish Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle. While still widely used as a diminutive, Beth has stood confidently on its own for decades—a warm, gentle classic that feels both familiar and quietly distinctive, one of the simplest yet most enduring names in the Scottish register.