Bertha
Meaning of Bertha
Bertha is a classic Germanic name originating from the Old High German word “beraht,” meaning “bright” or “glorious.” Historically associated with medieval nobility and saints—most notably the 6th-century abbess and daughter of a Merovingian king—it carries an air of dignified heritage. In the United States, Bertha enjoyed its heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, regularly ranking among the top twenty names before gradually yielding to more modern choices. Today it retains a quiet, vintage appeal: in 2024 around twenty‐eight newborn girls were named Bertha, placing it near the 920th spot in national popularity. Pronounced BUR-thuh, the name offers straightforward elegance and a no-nonsense charm for parents drawn to names with historical depth and enduring character.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as BUR-thuh (/bərˈθə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Bertha
| Bertha Pappenheim was an Austrian-Jewish feminist and pioneering social worker who founded the Jewish Women's Association and was known as Breuer's patient Anna O. |
| Bertha von Suttner was an Austrian novelist and pacifist who became the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905. |
| Bertha Benz was a German automotive pioneer who made the first long-distance automobile journey in 1888, helping launch the success of her husband Carl Benz's invention. |
| Bertha Lutz was a Brazilian zoologist, diplomat, and pioneering feminist who helped secure voting rights for women in Brazil. |
| Bertha Knight Landes - Bertha Ethel Knight Landes became the first female mayor of a major American city, leading Seattle from 1926 to 1928. |
| Bertha of Savoy was Queen of Germany and Holy Roman Empress as the first wife of Emperor Henry IV. |
| Bertha B. Morley was an American educator and relief worker who rescued hundreds of children during the Armenian genocide and documented its early days. |
| Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach was a German industrial heiress who owned the Krupp company from 1902 to 1943. |
| Bertha Eckstein-Diener was an Austrian writer and feminist historian best known for Mothers and Amazons, a pioneering study of women's cultural history. |
| Bertha Southey Brammall was an Australian writer celebrated as Tasmania's own poet and novelist. |
| Bertha Swirles was an English physicist and author who helped advance early quantum theory and spent over 70 years at Cambridge's Girton College. |
| Bertha of Kent - Bertha was a Frankish princess and queen of Kent who helped bring Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England. |
| Bertha Marian Holt founded Holt International Children's Services and fought to let American families adopt more than two children internationally. |
| Bertha Waszklewicz-van Schilfgaarde - Johanna Waszklewicz-van Schilfgaarde was a Dutch journalist and peace activist. |
| Bertha Henry Buxton was an English novelist who also wrote books for children. |
| Bertha Cáceres - Bertha Caceres was a Honduran Indigenous environmental activist who won the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize for her campaign against the Agua Zarca Dam. |
