Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Benjamin

Say it BEN-juh-min 3 syllables

Hebrew · “son of the right/south or son of days”

Loved in Ontario and 1 more place. Common in England and Wales, the Netherlands, Sweden, and 21 more places. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 3 more places.

1 in 224 boys born in Northern Ireland in 2025. Number 61 there.

Benjamin in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 2, common in 24, rare in 6.
Benjamin in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales61 (down)20258081 in 337402020
Scotland120 (down)2025421 in 468652020
Northern Ireland61 (up)2025371 in 224712020
Ireland83 (down)2025711 in 334502020
North America
Ontario (province)7 (down)2024482about 1 in 12442019
Quebec (province)21 (up)2025282about 1 in 103222020
British Columbia (province)11 (down)2023111about 1 in 11742018
Nova Scotia (province)16 (down)20252032020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)46 (down)2025149292020
Victoria (state)55 (down)2025124312020
Queensland (state)39 (down)2025118322020
South Australia (state)50 (up)202532512020
New Zealand28 (down)202596222020
Western Europe
France257 (down)20252101 in 1,4411272020
Netherlands30 (down)2025331about 1 in 201142020
Central Europe
Austria41 (down)20252021 in 188302020
Switzerland75 (down)2025891 in 404482020
Berlin (city)39202370about 1 in 222392018
Munich (city)25 (down)202544about 1 in 99202020
Cologne (city)61 (down)202319about 1 in 336382018
Bonn (city)41 (down)202513about 1 in 244382020
Leipzig (city)57 (down)20259about 1 in 320422020
Rostock (city)47 (up)20254about 1 in 262672020
Nordic countries
Norway48 (down)20251441 in 162202020
Sweden45 (down)2025237about 1 in 182332020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025452020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region) (as Benjamín)124 (up)2025351 in 5922332020
Italy272 (new in the list)2024501 in 3,787Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland149 (up)2025691 in 1,8321522020
Hungary (as Benjámin)45 (up)2025359542020
Slovenia44 (up)202544about 1 in 165552020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
Argentina120248,81812019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

In the Bible, Benjamin is the youngest son of Jacob, and the name is Hebrew. The Hebrew binyamin is read as 'son of the right' or 'son of the south', or else 'son of days', and authorities differ on which is original. It reached English through Greek and Late Latin.

2 more paragraphs

Three syllables, BEN-juh-min, give it a full, warm sound, and Ben is the ready short form. Accented spellings such as Benjamín and Benjámin are also used, and other forms include Beniamino and Binyamin.

Benjamin is the leading boys' name in Argentina and ranks high in Ontario. It also does well in British Columbia, Quebec, the Netherlands and Austria. French records show a peak in the early 1990s, and the name is now falling in many more places than it is rising.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
BEN-juh-min · 3 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 3.
Meaning
“son of the right/south or son of days”
Origin
Hebrew
Spellings counted
Counted together with Benjamin here: Benjamín, Benjámin.
Related names
Beniamin, Binyamin, Jamin, Benxamín, Beniaminus, Beniamino, Benjamí, Bünyamin, Veniamin, Benjaminas, Binjamin, Veniamín, Bunyamin, Benjamim
Where Benjamin comes from (Wiktionary)

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.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Benjamin. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Benjamin over time

Rising in 2 of the 30 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 16. Peak in France: 1992.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Benjamin in England and Wales: #15 in 1996, a peak of #6 in 2002, and #61 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #15, 4,805 boys1997: #13, 4,782 boys1998: #16, 4,643 boys1999: #15, 4,559 boys2000: #16, 4,217 boys2001: #14, 4,238 boys2002: #6, 5,095 boys2003: #7, 4,999 boys2004: #9, 5,144 boys2005: #11, 4,414 boys2006: #12, 4,188 boys2007: #14, 3,638 boys2008: #18, 3,275 boys2009: #15, 3,319 boys2010: #22, 3,005 boys2011: #25, 2,789 boys2012: #32, 2,564 boys2013: #30, 2,532 boys2014: #28, 2,490 boys2015: #30, 2,328 boys2016: #33, 2,153 boys2017: #33, 1,927 boys2018: #35, 1,743 boys2019: #33, 1,701 boys2020: #40, 1,426 boys2021: #42, 1,423 boys2022: #51, 1,117 boys2023: #53, 1,057 boys2024: #61, 841 boys2025: #61, 808 boys#15 in 1996peak #6, 2002#61in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996154,805
1997134,782
1998164,643
1999154,559
2000164,217
2001144,238
200265,095
200374,999
200495,144
2005114,414
2006124,188
2007143,638
2008183,275
2009153,319
2010223,005
2011252,789
2012322,564
2013302,532
2014282,490
2015302,328
2016332,153
2017331,927
2018351,743
2019331,701
2020401,426
2021421,423
2022511,117
2023531,057
202461841
202561808

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Benjamin in France since 1925 were born in or after 1992. Peak: 1992, about 1,635 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 27.9 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 21.3 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 17.9 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 12.2 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 9 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 11.5 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 10 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 13.9 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 27.1 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 146.3 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 455.8 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 1,008.3 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 1,332.4 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 1,497.1 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 1,177.8 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 836.5 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 441 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 306.9 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 217 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 123.6 per 100,000 boys20202025: 69.4 per 100,000 boys20251990-1994: about 1 in 67 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–192927.9
1930–193421.3
1935–193917.9
1940–194412.2
1945–19499
1950–195411.5
1955–195910
1960–196413.9
1965–196927.1
1970–1974146.3
1975–1979455.8
1980–19841,008.3
1985–19891,332.4
1990–19941,497.1
1995–19991,177.8
2000–2004836.5
2005–2009441
2010–2014306.9
2015–2019217
2020–2024123.6
202569.4

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Benjamin

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Benjamin, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 354, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  3. 1 in 290, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 224, Northern Ireland

  5. 1 in 208, Ireland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 818, Scotland

  8. 1 in 178, Austria

  9. 1 in 128, Austria

  10. 1 in 118, England and Wales

All 40 brother names for Benjamin

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Benjamin's 3 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 105, Ireland

  6. 1 in 130, Scotland

  7. 1 in 136, Northern Ireland

  8. 1 in 112, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Benjamin Jack

Syllables 3-1Initials B.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Benjamin

Sisters for Benjamin: Sarah, Eva, Hannah, and 5 more
  1. SarahRose and fell with Benjamin · Same generation as Benjamin
  2. EvaRose and fell with Benjamin · As common as Benjamin
  3. HannahRose and fell with Benjamin · Hebrew, like Benjamin
  4. IsabellaRose and fell with Benjamin · As common as Benjamin
  5. JessicaRose and fell with Benjamin · Same generation as Benjamin
  6. MayaRose and fell with Benjamin · As common as Benjamin
  7. AliceRose and fell with Benjamin · Same generation as Benjamin
  8. AbigailRose and fell with Benjamin · Hebrew, like Benjamin

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Benjamin

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Benjamin's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Common across France, the UK, Italy, and 25 more places.

  2. Common in England and Wales, Italy, Poland, and 17 more places.

  3. Common across the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, and 9 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

  5. Common across the UK, Poland, the Netherlands, and 19 more places.

  6. Common across France, the UK, three Nordic countries, and 11 more places.

  7. Common across the UK, the Netherlands, three Nordic countries, and 17 more places.

  8. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

Famous people named Benjamin

Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Disraeli, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Benjamin

How popular is Benjamin in Ontario?

Benjamin ranked #7 in Ontario in 2024, given to 482 boys, about 1 in 124.

Is Benjamin rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 2 of the 30 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 16. Rising in: Catalonia and Poland.

What does Benjamin mean?

Benjamin means “son of the right/south or son of days”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Benjamin have?

Benjamin has 3 syllables: BEN-juh-min.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

0kept

Kept names collect here.

Compare