There’s no Baby Name of the Day today, but there is a name that’s been on my mind: Beth.
She’s a nickname for the evergreen Elizabeth, but if you’re under thirty, you’re more likely to answer to a different diminutive. I’ve met Elizabeths called Libby, Ellie, Elle and even the retro Betsy, but all of the Beths I know are Boomers.
Beth peaked in the 60s, was immortalized in a 1976 Kiss ballad and then left the rankings after 1997. But the recent Glee rendition of Beth, coupled with last year’s teen flick I Love You Beth Cooper, has me wondering if Beth will make a comeback.
And so I ask readers: Beth, yea or nay?
Advertisement
I actually like Beth. I know an Elizabeth nn Beth who’s in her 30s and also a Bethany in her 30s. It has a nice, softer sound. Back in the 80s and 90s when I first met these two, I did not really like Beth, but it has grown on me… sounds fresh, short and sweet.
i quite like beth, it certainly makes a change to ellie, which i truly dislike. the elizabeth’s i’ve known have more often than not been lizzie’s so the only beth i’ve come across was a welsh girl using it as a nickname for bethan. that said out of all the elizabeth nicknames my favourite has to be betty, which sounds even older than beth to my ears.
I voted maybe, because I’m not really a fan of the name, but I don’t think it’s unusable or awful .
I actually really like Beth, and this is coming from someone who isn’t huge on Elizabeth! Mostly I just hate the Liz and Lizzie nicknames — no offense to anyone, I’m just not a fan of the “z” sound personally. I fell in love with Beth after a young, 20-something character wore it in Cloverfield, one of my favorite movies. It and Betsy are my favorite Elizabeth nicknames!
I’ve always loved the name Beth. Bethany with the nickname Beth would be on our list if I didn’t have a young aunt called Beth. We all called her Elizabeth until she was in middle school [my gramma did NOT want her to be called Lizzie, because of Lizzie Borden], when she started going by Beth. The younger kids in the family call her Bethie, which is cute.
Beth is my mother’s name, and my middle name. I love it, but I don’t think I will pass it on to my daughters.
My middle name is Elizabeth, so I would never use Beth for a daughter. I do like it, both as a nickname for Elizabeth and for Bethany, but not so much as a standalone name. I adore Betsy for a nickname for Elizabeth. Well, I guess if I was up to daughter ten or eleven, I might break down and use Elizabeth, because it’s also a family name for me.
Pingback: Monthly Summary- May 2010 | Kaludyna's Name Blog
I’m a Beth (and 31, so on the younger end of the curve) so I’m a fan of the name. I started using my full name when I was in high school, but there’s a softness to Beth that the Liz nicknames don’t have.
My mom thought of it because of Beth in Little Women.
I have a good friend who’s an Elizabeth who prefers to be called Beth, she’s 36 so she’s not a boomer. Most of the Beth’s I know are actually named Bethany.
I have an über religious family member with a daughter named Bethlehem, so I can’t use it and anyways I prefer Bess or Liesel.
Your comment reminded me, I’ve come across a lady named Bethsaida/Bethseda
Funny, I live down the street (okay, the Beltway) from Bethesda, Maryland. There’s a long story behind the place name, but it does make a pretty – and unexpected – choice for a child. I think Bethsaida is also a Biblical place name, but not necessarily the same one …
Bethsaida and Bethesda are both biblical place names, but no, they’re not the same. Bethsaida (House of Fish — yuck!) was the hometown of several of the disciples; Bethesda (House of Mercy — MUCH better!) was the name of a series of pools said to promote healing. My favourite, both for sound and meaning, is Bethesda. I even prefer it to Bethany (also a biblical place name, meaning “House of Figs”).
Thanks, Charlotte! And yes, I’d say Bethesda wins on meaning alone. There’s a Bethany Beach in Delaware – not exactly paradise, but a pleasant enough association for me.
No no no! With rare exception, Beth is the most common nickname for Elizabeth in my neck of the woods. I know tons of Beths in their late 20s/early 30s–I know one is a Bethany, but most are Elizabeths. To my ears, Liz sounds classier-and the full on Elizabeth is rarely used but delightful. Betsy, Betty, LIbby, Eliza, anything sounds fresher. Plus, Beth sounds so small town to me—kind of middle of the road.
No!! SO BORING! I HATED it when Puck suggested Beth on Glee! Betsy is so much cuter!!
I don’t really like the name Beth – it sounds very old and dated. My name’s Elisabeth and I prefer to go by Elle or Ellie, but never Beth!
I’m not a huge fan of most of Elizabeth’s more common derivatives, but Beth is one that I do rather like, partially due to my early childhood love of Little Women. My favourite Elizabeth nickname is Elsie, which was my grandmother’s name.
Thanks for the differentiation
I only heard them say it & I wasn’t able to ask them how they spell it 
I’m wondering if there aren’t any Bethlehem(s) running around in SA, as it is a Biblical place name, but it’s also a place in SA .
Another Elisabeth here. I’ve always had a pretty strong aversion to “Beth.”
I’ve always introduced myself as Elisabeth. In high school people were prone to giving me a nickname. They reverted to Liz sometimes, which I actually liked. Latino friends called me “Eli” (Ellie) and in Rome I was Elisabetta.
Then there were those who called me Beth. I always corrected them and told them LIz was cool, but not Beth. Those who insisted on calling me Beth didn’t seem to be interested in staying my friend!
Actually now, I wish I were a Betsy. Betsy feels like me.
I think you would make a great Betsy!
Aw, thanks Abby. Maybe I’ll take a tip from you and just change my name.
I wonder if any Beth’s got teased in school…”Hey Beth, do you want to ride the buth with uth? I like your dreth, don’t meth it up. Have you met Seth? Do y’all listen to Megadeth? Yeth, I gueth so!”
tee hee.