Benjamin

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Benjamín in EC Ecuador and Benjámin in HU Hungary.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 8 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Benjamin is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• French given name1.2M records spelled Benjamin54 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Spain, Philippines

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Beniamin, Benjamín, Benjamìn, Ben-Jamin, Ben'Jamin

• Swahili given name157K records spelled Benjamin8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kenya, United States, Nigeria, Philippines

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho, Kinyarwanda

  Also written Benjamín

• a separate given name141K records spelled Benjamin5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, Ecuador, United Kingdom

  Also written Benjamín, Benjámin, Benjamìn

• Finnish given name62K records spelled Benjamin3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden

  Also written Benjámin, Benjamín

• Russian given name61K records spelled Benjamin148 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Poland, Ukraine, United States

  Languages: Russian, Polish, Ukrainian

  Also written Вениамин, Beniamin, Веніамін, Veniamin, Бениамин

• Lao given name17K records spelled Benjamin58 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Laos, Thailand, United States, Philippines

  Languages: Lao, Thai

  Also written เบญจมินทร์, Benjamín, เบนจามิน, เบ็ญจมินทร์, เบญจมิน

106 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Benjamin is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The name Benjamin, meaning 'son of the right hand,' is a classic biblical name associated with loyalty and faithfulness. While the most famous Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob, other figures by this name represent a commitment to faith and community.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• Benjamin's compliance with Ezra's decree to divorce his foreign wife serves as an example of post-exilic Jewish commitment to covenantal purity and the re-establishment of a distinct religious identity separate from surrounding peoples.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Benjamin comes from Hebrew and means "son of the right hand." In the Bible, the most famous Benjamin was the youngest of Jacob's twelve sons, and the name is often associated with being a beloved, youngest child.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• A classic and enduring biblical name, Benjamin means 'son of the right hand' in Hebrew. The name's original bearer was the youngest and beloved son of the patriarch Jacob, symbolizing a cherished child.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• He represents the 'son of the right hand' (favor/strength) and is often associated with redemption and the unification of the tribes, particularly in the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Benjamin Franklinb. 1706USAmerican polymath and statesman (1706–1790)
• Benjamin Harrisonb. 1833USPresident of the United States, 1889-1893 (1833–1901)
• Benjamin Mkapab. 1938TZTanzanian politician and former president (1938-2020)
• Ben E. Kingb. 1938USnot in their usual nameAmerican singer (1938–2015)
• Benjamin Netanyahub. 1949ILPrime Minister of Israel (born 1949), (1996–1999; 2009–2021; 2022–present)
• Ben Bernankeb. 1953USnot in their usual nameAmerican economist (born 1953)
• Sam Harrisb. 1967USnot in their usual nameAmerican author, philosopher and neuroscientist (born 1967)
• Jake Gyllenhaalb. 1980USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (born 1980)
• Ben Shapirob. 1984USnot in their usual nameAmerican conservative political commentator
• Benjamin Pavardb. 1996FRFrench footballer (born 1996)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 2,577 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Benjamin?

We estimate roughly 900 thousand people bear Benjamin (counting its spellings and scripts) across 11 countries in our records.

In which country does Benjamin have the most bearers?

Benjamin is most frequently recorded in Argentina, where it is most often spelled benjamin.

How common is Benjamin compared with other names?

In Argentina, Benjamin is the 92nd most common given name of 517,176 given names recorded there.

Is Benjamin a male or female name?

Benjamin is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Benjamin mean?

Recorded meaning: from the male personal name Benjamin, from Hebrew Binyamin, literally ‘son of the south’