Bethany [beth-uh-nee]is a female first name. It comes from the Biblical place Bethany, the town where Lazarus lived in the New Testament.The origin of the name Bethany can be traced back to the Hebrew term bethania, which translates to "house of figs" or "house of affliction."In English speaking countries, Bethany has been very popular. It was the 59th most popular name for England and Wales in 2010. In 1999, it had gone as high as number 11. In the United States, the name was the 87th most popular in the late 1980s. This name is ranked #646 on the "Popular Names in 2021". 