Beth

Beth is an English short form of Elizabeth, which itself traces back through Latin and Greek to the Hebrew name Elisheba, composed of the elements el, meaning God, and sheva, meaning oath or perhaps seven. As a standalone given name it gained steady use in the English-speaking world from the nineteenth century onward, famously associated with the gentle character Beth March in Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel Little Women. It also coincides with the name of the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, beth, derived from a word meaning house, though this connection is largely incidental to its use as a personal name. Related forms include Bette, Betty, Betsy, and Bethany.