Holding steady.
Popularity of Arnetha since 1917
Babies named Arnetha per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1956, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Arnetha's real moment was 1938.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 20 |
| 1920s | 61 |
| 1930s | 64 |
| 1940s | 76 |
| 1950s | 111 |
| 1960s | 105 |
| 1970s | 15 |
| 1980s | 11 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Arnetha is a name that first appeared in U.S. records in 1917, a time when creative coinages and respellings were fashionable. It reached its peak popularity in 1938, during the decade when it was most used (the 1930s). Despite its mid-century heyday, Arnetha has since become a rare choice; its trajectory is described as stable. The name does not appear among the top baby names of any state, and it currently ranks well outside the top 1000. Arnetha likely emerged as a variant of Aretha, a name that gained some visibility through the soul singer Aretha Franklin, though the exact etymology remains uncertain.
Arnetha first appeared in U.S. records in 1917 and peaked in use during the 1930s. It is likely a creative respelling of Aretha, which itself may derive from the Greek word aretē meaning 'virtue' or 'excellence'. Alternatively, Arnetha may be an invented name formed by combining elements popular at the time, such as Ar- and -etha.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Arnie, Netha, Ari
Sibling names for Arnetha
Names that share Arnetha's style, for a brother or sister.
