Betty

אֱלִישֶׁבַע

• Gender: Female
• Origin: Jew-ish
• Meaning: my God is an oath

• Betty may sound as all-American as apple pie, but trace it back far enough and you land squarely in the Torah. It started life as a nickname for Elizabeth, which descends from the Hebrew name Elisheva, meaning "my God is an oath." That makes Betty a stealth Jewish name with a surprisingly ancient pedigree hiding beneath its cheerful, retro exterior.

  The ultimate vintage comeback kid, this name is riding the same retro wave that brought back Sadie, Goldie, and Millie. Its most famous Jewish bearer might be Betty Friedan, whose groundbreaking work launched second-wave feminism. It has a crisp, cheerful two-syllable punch that sounds adorable on a toddler and polished on a professional — and the quiet link back to Elisheva gives it a layer of heritage most people will never see coming.

• Hebrew Equivalent:
  Elisheva
• Potential Sibling Name:
  Sarah
  ,
  Judith
  ,
  Joel
  ,
  Simon
• Theme: God