girl's name
Berthe
BAIRT
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 6
- Births on record 70,955
Berthe means bright, and Charlemagne's mother carried it — Bertrada of Laon, known as Berthe au Grand Pied, is the reason the name runs through Frankish royalty at all. It peaked in 1901, and holds 70,955 lifetime births.
- Berthe is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1901, when 3,135 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1900s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival in France.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Berthe over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2023, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 30,265 |
| 1910s | 18,400 |
| 1920s | 13,350 |
| 1930s | 5,400 |
| 1940s | 1,890 |
| 1950s | 890 |
| 1960s | 415 |
| 1970s | 95 |
| 1980s | 30 |
| 1990s | 25 |
| 2000s | 5 |
| 2020s (to 2023) | 5 |
What Berthe means
Berthe means bright, shining or famous. The Germanic beraht is the ordinary adjective, used as a name element rather than as a description of the person.
Where Berthe comes from
Berthe is the French form of the Germanic Berhta, from beraht — bright or shining, the same element in Albert, Robert, Bertram and Herbert. Bertrada of Laon, Charlemagne's mother, was known as Berthe au Grand Pied, Bertha of the big foot, which medieval chroniclers reported without much explanation. The name may also connect to a Germanic goddess whose name means the bright one. Our data marks it reviving.
Berthe in use
Berthe peaked in France in 1901, when 3,135 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It no longer ranks in any of the six markets we track, across 70,955 lifetime births. A reviving flag on a name that ranks nowhere means the direction has turned before the volume reaches a ranking threshold, which is a pattern Emile also shows.
How popular is Berthe?
In 2023, Berthe was given to 5 babies in France. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published US data.
Where Berthe is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Berthe
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Berthe also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Berthe over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Berthe in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Berthe
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Berthe — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Berthe
What does the name Berthe mean?
Bright — the Germanic beraht, the same element in Albert and Robert.
Who was Berthe au Grand Pied?
Bertrada of Laon, Charlemagne's mother, known as Bertha of the big foot.
Is Berthe the same as Bertha?
Yes — the French and English forms of the same Germanic name.
Is Berthe coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, though it does not currently rank in any market.
How popular is the name Berthe?
In 2023, Berthe was given to 5 babies in France. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published US data.
Is Berthe a girl's or a boy's name?
Berthe is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Berthe most popular?
Berthe peaked in 1901, when 3,135 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1900s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.