Ben
Meaning
“Hebrew word for 'son'; also short form of Benjamin ('son of the right hand')”
The formal names behind Ben
Ben is an established short form of each of these names.
Benjamin · Hebrew origin · "son of the right hand," from the Hebrew Binyamin, Jacob's youngest and best-loved son; a name for cherished last-borns through centuries of Jewish, Puritan, and American use. Full of gravity, while Ben could not be friendlier
Benedict · Latin origin · from Benedictus, meaning 'blessed'
Ben's name family
One shared root links 4 names in English.
Shared root: from Hebrew Binyamin "son of the right hand", Jacob's youngest son
The family
More branches
Ben in song
Ben
Michael Jackson (1972)
A thirteen-year-old Michael Jackson singing a devoted friendship song that happens to be the theme from a movie about a rat, sung so sincerely that nobody minds.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ben peaked in the 1890s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
2,150 people · the #4,872 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 90,909 · median age 13
Among people named Ben living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 656 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Ben
People given the name Ben in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 2009. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Ben deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ben truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ben fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Does Ben fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Ben to your family’s tree →