Meaning & Origin
The village where Jesus stayed before going to Jerusalem and being crucified.
Bethany is a girl's and boy's baby name of Hebrew origin, from the Hebrew place name Beit Anya, meaning 'house of affliction' or possibly 'house of figs.' In the New Testament, Bethany was the village near Jerusalem where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived — the site of one of Jesus' most famous miracles.
Bethany rose to popularity in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s, finding a warm reception in Christian households drawn to its biblical setting without the ubiquity of Mary or Elizabeth. Surfer Bethany Hamilton — who returned to competitive surfing after losing her arm to a shark — gave the name a contemporary association with extraordinary courage.