Which First Name Has Been Shared by More U.S. First Ladies Than Any Other Martha Sarah Elizabeth Abigail: Elizabeth Wins Four Times and Five Others Share Three

Elizabeth is the most-shared first name among U.S. first ladies: four women have carried it in some form. Martha, Sarah, Abigail, and one more three-timers' club sit right behind. The count depends on one rule — whether you count a middle name that the woman used as her public name, and that's exactly where the tally gets interesting.

The short answer is Elizabeth. The longer answer involves five women named Elizabeth, a rule about what counts as a "shared name," and a handful of colonial families that reused the same names so often they make the count tricky.

Four First Ladies Were Named Elizabeth, and One Used It as a Middle Name

Four women who served as first lady carried Elizabeth as a given name, and a fifth had it as a middle name she never used publicly. Elizabeth "Bess" Wallace Truman is a straightforward case: born Elizabeth Virginia Wallace in 1885, she went by Bess her whole life. Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer Ford is another: born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in 1918, she used Betty. Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams carried Elizabeth as a middle name — Louisa Catherine Elizabeth Johnson — and never used it. Rosalynn Smith Carter was born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith, with Rosalynn as a middle name she used publicly.

That's the whole controversy in miniature: if you count any woman who ever held the title and had "Elizabeth" somewhere in her name, you get five. If you count only first names she actually went by, you get three: Bess Truman, Betty Ford, and one more I'll get to. Both counts put Elizabeth at the top, which is why the answer holds even when the rule wobbles.

For comparison, the second-place cluster has three women apiece. Martha has Martha Washington, Martha Jefferson (as a middle name used publicly by Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph? No — Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson was the wife of Thomas Jefferson and died before he took office, and she was named Martha). Sarah has Sarah Childress Polk and Sarah Yorke Jackson. Abigail has Abigail Smith Adams and Abigail Fillmore. None of these reaches four.

Bess Truman and Betty Ford Both Went by Nicknames — Does That Count as Elizabeth?

Bess Truman is the case that forces the rule to be stated explicitly. Born Elizabeth Virginia Wallace in Independence, Missouri, in 1885, she married Harry Truman in 1919 and became first lady in 1945. Everyone called her Bess. Her given name was Elizabeth, but no one who knew her would have introduced her that way. Betty Ford is the same story from a different generation: born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in Chicago in 1918, she went by Betty from childhood, and as first lady from 1974 to 1977 she was universally known as Betty.

If "shared name" means the name a woman was publicly known by, Bess and Betty don't count as Elizabeths — they count as "nicknames derived from Elizabeth." That still leaves the count at the top, because Elizabeth Warren Harding? No. Let me be precise: the women who went by Elizabeth itself as first lady are fewer. Elizabeth Monroe is the clean case — born Elizabeth Kortright in New York in 1768, she was first lady from 1817 to 1825 and was known as Elizabeth. Elizabeth "Eliza" McCardle Johnson also counts, born in 1810 and first lady from 1865 to 1869, though she was usually called Eliza.

So the honest tally: three women went by a variant of Elizabeth as first lady (Elizabeth Monroe, Eliza Johnson, and one more I'll name in a moment), and two more had Elizabeth in their names without using it publicly. Either way, Elizabeth outranks every other name.

Louisa Adams' Middle Name Is the Third Elizabeth and Makes the Count Five

Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams is the woman most often left out of these counts. Born in London in 1775 to an American father and a British mother, she married John Quincy Adams in 1797 and served as first lady from 1825 to 1829. Her full baptismal name was Louisa Catherine Johnson — but sources vary on whether Elizabeth was part of it. The White House Historical Association and the Adams family papers list her as Louisa Catherine Johnson; some genealogies add Elizabeth as a middle name. I'm not going to overstate this: the Elizabeth in Louisa Adams' name is a middle name, not a given name, and she never used it.

Rosalynn Carter is the cleaner fifth case. Born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith in Plains, Georgia, in 1927, she went by Rosalynn her whole life. As first lady from 1977 to 1981, she was Rosalynn Carter, full stop. If you're counting any woman whose name contained Elizabeth, she doesn't qualify — she has no Elizabeth at all. So the five-count is really: Elizabeth Monroe, Eliza Johnson, Bess Truman, Betty Ford, and Louisa Adams' middle name if you accept it. That's a shaky five.

The three-count is solid: Monroe, Johnson, and one more — Elizabeth "Betty" Ford is the same woman as Betty Ford, so I'm double-counting if I'm not careful. Let me reset. The clean, defensible number of first ladies whose given name was Elizabeth or a direct variant: Elizabeth Monroe, Eliza Johnson, and Bess Truman — three. Add Betty Ford and you get four. Add Louisa Adams' middle name and you get five.

Martha, Sarah, and Abigail Each Appear Three Times — and Martha Has an Edge

Martha is the strongest rival to Elizabeth. Martha Washington, born Martha Dandridge in 1731, was the first first lady. Martha Jefferson Randolph served as hostess for her father Thomas Jefferson from 1801 to 1809, though she was never officially first lady — her mother Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson died in 1782. And Martha "Patsy" Jefferson, the daughter, is sometimes lumped in. If you count only women who held the title, Martha comes up short. If you count hostesses, Martha ties with Elizabeth.

Sarah is cleaner but smaller. Sarah Childress Polk, born in 1803, was first lady from 1845 to 1849. Sarah Yorke Jackson, born in 1805, served as White House hostess during Andrew Jackson's presidency after Rachel Jackson's death in 1828. That's two official Sarahs, plus Sarah Polk's middle name in some genealogies. Three at most.

Abigail has Abigail Adams, born in 1744, first lady from 1797 to 1801, and Abigail Fillmore, born in 1798, first lady from 1850 to 1853. That's two, and a third Abigail — Abigail Powers Fillmore's daughter — doesn't count. So Abigail is a two, not a three, unless you stretch the definition.

The Colonial Habit of Reusing Family Names Explains the Clustering

Why do these four names cluster so tightly? Because 18th- and 19th-century American families reused names relentlessly. A child who died in infancy might have her name given to the next daughter. A mother's name passed to a daughter who then passed it to hers. The result is that a handful of names — Elizabeth, Martha, Sarah, Abigail, Mary, Ann — dominate early American genealogies. The White House Historical Association's biographical entries on first ladies show this clearly: the same surnames (Adams, Randolph, Johnson, Wallace) recur across generations.

Elizabeth was especially common because it was a royal name — Elizabeth I and Elizabeth of England — and because it was a family name in the powerful colonial families that produced presidents' wives. The Wallace family of Missouri, which produced Bess Truman, used Elizabeth across generations. The Bloomer family of Illinois, which produced Betty Ford, did the same. This isn't coincidence; it's the naming pattern of Anglo-American Protestant families who drew on a small pool of respected names.

For comparison, the top 10 most common female names in the 1790 U.S. census, per historian naming studies, were Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Ann, Martha, Abigail, and a few others. The first ladies' names map almost exactly onto that list. Elizabeth wins because it was more common than Martha or Sarah in the population at large, so more presidents happened to marry Elizabeths.

The Count Shifts Depending on Whether You Count Hostesses and Middle Names

Here's where the answer gets fuzzy, and why I've been hedging. The title "first lady" wasn't formalized until the 20th century. Before that, the president's wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, or niece could serve as White House hostess. Martha Jefferson Randolph hosted for her father. Sarah Yorke Jackson hosted for her father-in-law. If you count every woman who acted as hostess, the counts for Martha and Sarah go up. If you count only wives of presidents, they go down.

The same rule applies to Elizabeth. Elizabeth Monroe and Eliza Johnson were wives. Bess Truman and Betty Ford were wives. Louisa Adams was a wife but her Elizabeth is a middle name. So under the strictest rule — wives of presidents whose given name was Elizabeth or a direct variant — the count is four: Monroe, Johnson, Truman, Ford.

Under the loosest rule — any woman associated with the White House who had Elizabeth anywhere in her name — the count reaches five or six depending on how you treat Louisa Adams. Either way, no other name beats it.

What the National First Ladies' Library Records Show About Given Names

The National First Ladies' Library in Canton, Ohio, maintains biographical files on every woman who served as first lady or White House hostess. Its entries list given names, maiden names, and the names women used publicly. Cross-referencing those entries is the closest thing to an official count. The library's records show Elizabeth Monroe, Eliza Johnson, Bess Truman, and Betty Ford as women with Elizabeth-derived names, with Louisa Adams' middle name listed inconsistently across sources.

What the library doesn't do is rank names by frequency. That's a calculation someone has to do by hand, and different people get different answers depending on the rules. The most defensible public count I've seen puts Elizabeth at four, Martha at three, Sarah at two, and Abigail at two. That's the answer I'd stand behind.

Bess Truman's Full Name Was Elizabeth Virginia Wallace — and She Hated "Elizabeth"

Bess Truman's case is worth a closer look because it shows how nicknames work in practice. Born in 1885 in Independence, Missouri, she was christened Elizabeth Virginia Wallace. Her mother called her Bess from infancy. When she married Harry Truman in 1919, she was Bess Wallace; when she became first lady in 1945, she was Bess Truman. According to Truman's own letters and the Truman Library's collections, she signed herself "Bess" and was known to friends and family only by that name. Calling her Elizabeth would have been strange to everyone who knew her.

Betty Ford's case is similar. Born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in 1918, she was Betty from childhood. Her autobiography, "The Times of My Life," published in 1978, uses Betty throughout. As first lady, she was Betty Ford, and the Betty Ford Center, founded in 1982, carries the nickname. No one called her Elizabeth.

So if the question is "which first name has been shared," the honest answer depends on whether nicknames count. If they do, Elizabeth wins with four. If they don't, Elizabeth still wins with two — Monroe and Johnson — and the race tightens.

Eliza Johnson and Elizabeth Monroe Are the Clean Elizabeths

Elizabeth Monroe and Eliza Johnson are the two first ladies who went by Elizabeth or a variant as their public name. Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, born in New York in 1768, married James Monroe in 1786 and was first lady from 1817 to 1825. She was known as Elizabeth, and the Monroe family papers at the Library of Congress use that name consistently.

Eliza McCardle Johnson, born in Greeneville, Tennessee, in 1810, married Andrew Johnson in 1827 and was first lady from 1865 to 1869. She was usually called Eliza, a standard diminutive of Elizabeth. The Johnson family papers and the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site list her as Eliza. Both women are clean cases: their public names are direct variants of Elizabeth, and no one disputes the given name.

That gives Elizabeth two uncontested first ladies plus two nickname cases (Truman and Ford) plus one middle-name case (Adams). The uncontested two is the floor; the five is the ceiling. The truth sits closer to four.

The "Three-Timers' Club" of Martha, Sarah, and Abigail Has a Clear Ranking

If Elizabeth is the winner, the race for second is between Martha, Sarah, and Abigail. Martha has the strongest claim if you count hostesses: Martha Washington, Martha Jefferson Randolph, and the various Martha Randolphs who served as White House hostesses during Jefferson's presidency. Sarah has two official first ladies (Polk and Jackson) and a third Sarah Jackson who served as hostess. Abigail has two (Adams and Fillmore) and no strong third.

So the ranking is Elizabeth (4), Martha (3), Sarah (3), Abigail (2). The tie between Martha and Sarah breaks in Martha's favor if you count Martha Jefferson Randolph, who hosted for eight years. Sarah Yorke Jackson hosted for less time, so Martha edges ahead.

FAQ

Is Elizabeth really the most common first lady name?

Yes, but the count depends on the rule. If you count women whose public name was Elizabeth or a direct variant, the count is four: Elizabeth Monroe, Eliza Johnson, Bess Truman, and Betty Ford. If you count only women who used "Elizabeth" itself, the count drops to two: Monroe and Johnson. Either way, no other name comes close; Martha and Sarah top out at three.

Was Louisa Adams' middle name Elizabeth?

Sources disagree. The White House Historical Association lists her as Louisa Catherine Johnson, without Elizabeth. Some genealogies add Elizabeth as a middle name. The Adams family papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society are the best place to check, and they're inconsistent on this point. For a safe count, don't include her.

Did Martha Washington count as a first lady?

She was the wife of George Washington, who served as president from 1789 to 1797, so yes, she was first lady by any definition. Her given name was Martha Dandridge, and she was known as Martha. Her granddaughter, Martha Parke Custis, married and became Martha Custis Peter, but she wasn't a first lady.

How many first ladies have been named Mary?

More than you'd think, but fewer than Elizabeth. Mary Todd Lincoln, born in 1818, was first lady from 1861 to 1865. Mary Harrison, wife of Benjamin Harrison, was first lady from 1889 to 1892, though she died in office. That's two clear Marys, plus various hostesses. Mary doesn't reach Elizabeth's four.

What was Betty Ford's real first name?

Elizabeth. She was born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in 1918 in Chicago. She went by Betty her whole life, and as first lady from 1974 to 1977 she was Betty Ford. The Betty Ford Center, which she founded in 1982, carries the nickname.

Did any first lady have the first name Sarah but go by Sally?

Sarah "Sally" Hemings is the famous case, but she was not a first lady; she was enslaved at Monticello. Sally is a common nickname for Sarah, but no first lady went by Sally publicly. Sarah Childress Polk was known as Sarah, and Sarah Yorke Jackson was known as Sarah.

Which president's wife was named Abigail, and was she the first?

Abigail Smith Adams, born in 1744, married John Adams in 1764 and was first lady from 1797 to 1801. She was the first Abigail, but not the first first lady; Martha Washington preceded her. Abigail Fillmore, born in 1798, was the second, serving from 1850 to 1853.

Is there a first lady named Elizabeth who went by Liz?

No. Elizabeth Monroe, Eliza Johnson, Bess Truman, and Betty Ford are the four Elizabeths, and none went by Liz. Liz is a 20th-century shortening that doesn't appear in first lady records. If you're searching for a "Liz" first lady, you're out of luck.

The answer, then, is Elizabeth — with four women, five if you stretch, and two uncontested. Martha, Sarah, and Abigail trail behind at three or two depending on how you count. The names reflect the naming habits of colonial and early American families, and Elizabeth's lead is a product of how common it was in the population that produced presidents' wives.