Benjamin
Boy nameBenjamin has been given to 829,312 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1989 and currently ranks #11 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈbɛnd͡ʒəmɪn/
From Late Latin Benjamin, from Ancient Greek Βενιαμίν (Beniamín), from Biblical Hebrew בִּנְיָמִין (binyamīn, literally “son of the right/south or son of days”). Authorities differ on the meaning of the original Hebrew. Philo of Alexandria, the Samaritan Pentateuch The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs and Midrash Leḳaḥ-Ṭob understand יָמִין to mean "days" (a meaning attested in Daniel 12:13) understanding the name to mean "son of days (i.e. old age)" (compare to the direct translations into Arabic بِنْ يَومِين (bin yawmīn) "son of the days" and Arabic بِنْ يَمِين (bin yamīn) "son of
Origin: Hebrew
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
829,312
Peak year
1989 (15,788 babies)
Rank in 2025
#11 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -29%
Gender split
0% girls / 100% boys
Famous people named Benjamin
Benjamin Franklin
American polymath and statesman (1706–1790)
Benjamin Disraeli
British statesman (1804–1881)
Benjamin Harrison
President of the United States, 1889-1893 (1833–1901)
Ben Stiller
American actor and comedian (born 1965)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Benjamin.
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