Bethany at a glance
- Meaning
- “house of figs”
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Pronunciation
- BETH-uh-nee
- Nicknames
- Beth
- Other forms
- Betania, Bethanie
Where the name Bethany comes from
Bethany is the name of a village near Jerusalem in the New Testament, where Jesus visited his friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. The meaning “house of figs” is the usual explanation, but it is not certain. Catholics first used it as a first name in honour of Mary of Bethany, and it became popular in the second half of the 20th century.