Meaning: Its source is beth te'ena, a Hebrew name meaning "Fig house."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Hebrew and English.

Nicknames: Beth

Alternative Spellings: Bethanee, Bethaney, Bethani, Bethanie, Bethanney, Bethenie, Betheny and Bethahnya

Variant Forms: Bethane, Bethia and Bethney

Non-English Forms: Bethania and Betana

Popularity: The name Bethany ranked 173rd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 398th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name first made its appearance on state popularity lists of the 1990s, and has been trending upward in usage ever since.

Narrative: In Christian scripture, Bethany was the name of a Jerusalem suburb. It was the site of many events described in the New Testament, including Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead, the story of Simon the Leper, and the preparations for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

This was also the name of the area where John the Baptist performed his ministry, though scholars believe this was a separate location.