Bertha
A short form of Germanic names in beraht, “bright.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
A German import that was among the most common names of the 1880s; the giant WWI howitzer nicknamed Big Bertha helped finish it off.
Bertha appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1880 to 1930. It spent 12 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 1918, when 5,051 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 51 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1883, at No. 7. All told, 208,807 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Explore Bertha interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 18,263 | No. 7 |
| 1890s | 25,125 | No. 10 |
| 1900s | 24,247 | No. 16 |
| 1910s | 40,120 | No. 33 |
| 1920s | 38,571 | No. 57 |
| 1930s | 21,234 | No. 95 |
| 1940s | 16,225 | No. 140 |
| 1950s | 11,251 | No. 193 |
| 1960s | 5,838 | No. 323 |
| 1970s | 2,717 | No. 521 |
| 1980s | 1,687 | No. 781 |
| 1990s | 1,400 | No. 1014 |
| 2000s | 686 | No. 1795 |
| 2010s | 330 | No. 3407 |
| 2020s | 176 | No. 4202 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.