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Home › Baby Names Directory › Blythe

Blythe

♀ Girl

Pronounced BLYETH /ˈblaɪð/Medium

Meaning: CheerfulMedium

In 30 seconds: Blythe is an English girl's name meaning 'cheerful' or carefree. It comes straight from the everyday word for a light, happy spirit.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningCheerful
U.S. rank (2025)#2052 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births92 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2013
Total births (all-time)≈ 5,168

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 201318972025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Blythe traces to the English word 'blithe,' meaning glad, cheerful, or untroubled. As a given name it turns a plain virtue word into something a person carries, much like Joy or Merry. The spelling with a final -e gives it a slightly older, literary look.

It reads as a single brisk syllable, soft but not delicate. The actress Blythe Danner, born in 1943, has long been the name's best-known bearer, alongside the Canadian diver Blythe Hartley.

Did you know? Blythe likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Blythe — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Blythe Danner (1943–present)
    Female public figure listed on Behind the Name.
  • ★Blythe Hartley (1982–present)
    Female public figure listed on Behind the Name.

If you like Blythe…

Joy— Another English virtue name drawn from a word for happiness, parallel to Blythe's 'cheerful.'
Hope— Shares the tradition of one-word English virtue names with a bright outlook.
Faith— An English virtue name in the same simple, single-word style as Blythe.
Banks— a fellow English choice
Bryn— lands in the same popularity range

Explore names like Blythe

By themeenglishsurname-style
By meaningJoy

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Blythe mean?

Blythe is usually explained as meaning 'cheerful' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Blythe?

It's commonly said BLYETH /ˈblaɪð/.

Is Blythe a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Blythe is used as a girl name.

How popular is Blythe?

In 2024, Blythe ranked #1862 in the U.S. for girls, with 107 births recorded.

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