Bethany (Greek: Βηθανία (Bethania), which is probably of Aramaic or Hebrew origin, meaning "desire for goodness" or "house of happiness") is a feminine given name derived from the Biblical place name, Bethany, a town near Jerusalem, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Lazarus lived in the New Testament, along with his sisters, Mary and Martha,^[1] and where Jesus stayed during Holy Week before his crucifixion.

The name has been well-used in English-speaking countries. It was the 59th most popular name for girls in England and Wales in 2010, having ranked as high as 11th most popular name in those countries in 1999. It was the 79th most popular name for girls in Scotland in 2010. It ranked in the 100 most popular names for girls in the United States during the 1980s, reaching its pinnacle of popularity in 1987, when it was the 87th most popular name for girls, but its use has declined, falling to 369th most popular name there in 2010. The name Bethany is the English transliteration of the Greek name Bethania.^[2] It has been in use as a rare given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, used primarily by Catholics in honour of Mary of Bethany.

List

Notable people with the name include:

• Bethany Beardslee (born 1925), American soprano
• Bethany Black (born 1978), English stand-up comedian
• Bethany Campbell, American writer of romance novels
• Bethany Cosentino (born 1986), American singer
• Bethany Dillon (born 1988), Christian soft rock artist
• Bethany Donaphin (born 1980), American basketball player
• Bethany England (born 1994), English professional footballer
• Bethany Firth (born 1996), Northern Irish swimmer
• Bethany Goldsmith (1927–2004), American baseball pitcher
• Bethany Hall-Long (born 1963), American politician from Delaware
• Bethany Hamilton (born 1990), American surfer and shark attack victim
• Bethany Hart (born 1977), American hammer thrower
• Bethany Hellmann (born 1981), American professor and environmental advocate
• Bethany Kehdy (born 1981), Lebanese-American culinary expert and cookbook author
• Bethany Lee (born 1952), Australian film and television actress
• Bethany Joy Lenz (born 1981), American singer and actress
• Bethany LeSueur (born 1983), American basketball player
• Bethany Anne Lind, American stage and screen actor
• Bethanie Mattek-Sands (born 1985), American tennis player
• Bethany C. Meyers, American fitness entrepreneur
• Bethany Mooradian (born 1975), American author, lecturer and internet personality
• Bethany Mota (born 1995), American video blogger
• Bethany McLean (born 1970), American editor, business writer, and author
• Bethany Rooney, American television director and producer
• Bethany Shriever (born 1999) is a British BMX racer
• Bethany Veney (c. 1813–1916), American slave and autobiographer
• Bethany Walsh (born 1985), Australian synchronized swimmer
• Bethany Whitmore (born 1999), Australian actress
• Bethany Williamson (born 1999), British trampoline gymnast

Notes