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I love the name Beth, but also am not a big fan of Bethany. I think Beth can work as a full name for sure.

I think that Beth is fine as a full name. It has a down-to-earth sweetness without being boring. I rarely encounter little girls named Beth these days, so it seems refreshing.

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Bethany is also a sweet name. I know someone with a niece named Bethany who is sometimes called Beth.

I like Beth and I do think it can stand on its own, but prefer it as a nickname. I happen to love Elizabeth but I also like Bethan, Bethany and Embeth. The latter may be made up or a smush or such, I've only heard it as the name of actress, Embeth Davidtz, but I like it anyway. Personally, I do pronounce Elisabeth with a soft "s" sound rather than a "z" sound, but I've only ever heard others pronounce the "z", regardless of the spelling. I knew a young lady named Bethany who was lovely inside and out, so I've always had a good impression of the name because of her.

I've always loved Beth. It's sweet and pretty. It also can have a kind of sexy side to me, I guess because I knew some Beths with that side of them back in the 80's. :) I love both names: Elizabeth and Bethany. For awhile Bethany was my favorite name and I had it on my baby name list for a future daughter. But then it started to sound kind of too syrupy-sweet to me though I still do like it. These days I prefer the more traditional Elizabeth (also my middle name).Beth is a great nickname.

In the past I've been rather indifferent to Beth, it's sweet but without the fuss that a lot of nicknames for Elizabeth usually have. I've known many Bethanys (most now in the 20-30 age range) and while it's a nice name it's a bit too common among my own family and friends set for me to use it myself. Recently I have made friends with a new Bethany who is about 22, athletic, gorgeous brown curly hair, an olive complexion and a sweet and friendly personality and she's helped add a freshness to the image I have of the name Bethany. Also this is the first Bethany I've known who doesn't mind being called Beth by her close friends and family and there's somehow just a sweetness to hearing them Beth being used with Bethany. I'd say it would work very well and I'm liking Bethany nn Beth a bread deal right now.

I like Beth. I think it's sweet. And yes, I do think it can work as a full name (I'm not a big fan of Elizabeth, either.) I think Bethany is very sweet as well, and I like both Bethany and Beth.

I always associate Beth with death. I mean, Beth in Little Women didn't help. But it seems like I've known lots of Beths (in movies, books, and real life) that have died. So...

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As for nns, what about Annabeth?

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Bethany, to me, is very modern. WAY more modern than Elizabeth or Beth.

I really don't like Beth. I love Annabeth and Betsy but dislike Beth and Bethany. Bethan and Bethlehem are interesting, and I've heard of Tabetha nn Beth, before, so that could work. Or how about Elspeth nn Beth?

This message was edited 2/3/2013, 1:40 PM

Personally I like Beth better than Bethany. There is something about the name Beth that is very comforting to me. I think a Beth is a sister or mother who is very kind, gentle, and loving.

I love Beth!

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I like Elisabeth or Bethan as the fullname

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I also like Bethany, but not enough to use, same with Bethel

I don't generally like names with th sounds, but Beth is okay. It's youthful but not faddish or immature sounding. You wouldn't be surprised to see a Beth in kindergarten or getting ready to retire.

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And it can and often is used for a full name. I shared an apartment in high school with a Beth whose full name was Beth Anne, and I think my mother once had a friend whose name was Beth-Marie, always called by both names.

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I'm not fond of Elizabeth just because of the z and th sounds together. In the US I don't see Elizabeth or Elisabeth being pronounced different from each other or in any other way but the most familiar.

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My best friend from when I was growing up in Oklahoma is Bethany Renee. She's never called Beth.

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It's a stretch, but Beth might be a nn for Tabitha.

I have known many Beths. I'm older than most on these boards, so I think I probably have known more Beths than most because it was a popular name for my age group.

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I think it stands on its own just fine.

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My image of a Beth is a very nice, very friendly girl or woman. Just an all-around good person.

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Bethany is OK.

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I pronounce Elizabeth with a "z" sound, BTW.

I think Beth as a full name works fine. But Beth can also be used in lots of awesome double-names, if you're into those!

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What about Alyssa-Beth. It's almost Elizabeth without the sounds you don't like! Too cheesy?

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Bethany's nice too. I guess it's a bit more chic than Beth, which has a very simple, rural vibe for me. Bethany has that "cool old fashioned" feel, while Beth is just old-fashioned.

I've really come to like Beth in the last few years. It's really sweet. It's my favorite nickname for Elizabeth, but I happen to love Elizabeth. I also really like Bethany, and also Bethan. I think Beth wouldn't be so bad on its own though. I have two cousins of different generations named Beth-Anne, you could do something like that too.

This message was edited 2/3/2013, 5:02 AM

My best friend is called Bethany but she only answers to Beth and most of the time I forget that she isn't actually called Beth. I think it does stand well as a name in it's own right but I prefer Bethan over Bethany and Elizabeth (which I pronounce: eh-LIZ-eh-bəth)
Bethan and Beth are both on my list as middle name options at the moment. I think Beth is a no nonsense name, it's not frilly but I think it would lend itself either to tomboy or girly girl well, it also ages well.

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