Hi Jennifer,
First of all, thanks for all the questions you answer! I really appreciate them!
I was looking for the name Bethel and didn’t see it in your database. Some websites seem to say it’s for a girl, and some for a boy. I have found out it’s Hebrew and means “House of God”, but I was wondering if you had any more information on it? Specifically, is this name more common in other cultures or languages, and is it more popular for a certain gender over the other? Thanks so much for your help.
Shelley C.
Hi Shelley,
You’re very welcome! Thanks for being a loyal reader. Bethel is historically a female name and does, indeed, mean “House of God.” It’s originally a place name from the Old Testament of the Bible, a town north of Jerusalem. It is often used as a name for temples or churches.
It is not very common as a given name.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.
Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.
