Benjamin Name Meaning, Origin, History, And Popularity

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Origin, Meaning, And History Of Benjamin

The masculine name Benjamin is derived from the Hebrew words “ben,” meaning “son” and “yāmīn,” meaning “the right side or the right hand.” It could also mean “son of the south.” In the Samaritan Pentateuch, it means “son of my days.” The name originates from the Old Testament of the Bible, where Benjamin was the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob. As a result, the common phrase “the Benjamin of the family” refers to the youngest child of the family. Like many Biblical names, Benjamin is well-liked in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths.

This Biblical name has an equivalent in almost every language, such as the Italian Beniamino, the Lithuanian Benjaminas, the Chinese Běnjiémíng, the Arabic Binyamin, the Turkish Bünyamin, the Hawaiian Peni, and the Russian Venyamin. Benjamin is pronounced, “BEN-ja-min.” The name has several nicknames, including Ben, Benji, Bennie, Benito, and Benny. Benjamin also has female equivalents, such as Benjamina and Benjawan, which are typically used by actresses in Thailand. However, they are not as commonly used as the male given name Benjamin.

With a lineage reaching back to ancient times, this solid and respected boy’s name has a history of overuse, much like John or James. Nonetheless, the name continues to be widely used by high-profile celebrities like John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Gisele Bundchen, and Tom Brady when naming their sons.

The name Benjamin owes credit to the 1967 movie The Graduate for a surge in its popularity. The movie showcased Dustin Hoffman in the iconic role of Benjamin Braddock. George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm also features Benjamin, the donkey. Nicholas Cage plays the role of Benjamin Gates in the blockbuster film National Treasure. Another iconic character with the name is Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Actor Matthew McConaughey portrays the role of ladies’ man Benjamin Barry in the popular rom-com How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.

Benjamin

Meaning Son of the right hand; Son of the south

Gender Boy

Religion Christianity

Origin Hebrew

Lucky Number 5

Syllables Three

Length 1 word, 8 letters, 3 vowels, 5 consonants

Type Medium length and moderately easy to pronounce

How To Pronounce Benjamin?

Pronounced as ben-ja-min

The way you pronounce a name can make all the difference.

Listen to the sound of the name Benjamin in English.

Famous People With The Name Benjamin

Benjamin FranklinOne of the Founding Fathers of the US, known for his experiments with electricity and his role in drafting the US Constitution
Benjamin Disraeli A British politician and writer, served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice
Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu An Israeli politician, served as the Prime Minister of Israel for more than 15 years, making him the longest-serving Prime Minister in Israel’s history
Benjamin Harrison The 23rd president of the US, known for his efforts to modernize the navy and sign the Sherman Antitrust Act into law
Benjamin Earl King An American soul and R&B singer, rose to fame with his songs “Stand By Me” and “Spanish Harlem”

Benjamin On The Popularity Chart

The following charts show how the name Benjamin has performed over the years in terms of its popularity and ranking.

Popularity Over Time

Benjamin has performed consistently well on the popularity chart with a few instances of a spike. It reached its peak in 1989 with 15,732 babies per million sharing the name. The graph below gives you the details.

Source: Social Security Administration

Rank Over Time

The name did well in the early 1980s; however, with time, it lost its ranking and made it to the 20598th position in 2007. Check the graph to see the ranking trend.

Source: Social Security Administration

Benjamin On MomJunction Popularity Chart

Know how popular the name Benjamin is among the MomJunction readers. We used a unique approach to gather relevant insights for creating this popularity chart by observing the interactions and interest around the name on our platform. See what the trend has been among our readers over these past years.

Names With Similar Sound As Benjamin

If you appreciate names that sound like the classic and traditional Benjamin, explore other options in the list below..

Popular Sibling Names For Benjamin

If you are looking for some matching sibling names that resonate with Benjamin, check our suggestions here.

Boy Sibling Names For Benjamin

Find matching brother names for Benjamin and create a wonderful team of siblings.

Girl Sibling Names For Benjamin

Looking for some suitable sister names for Benjamin? Check out our collection of beautiful and unique names.

Other Popular Names Beginning With B

Looking for more baby names starting with the letter B to resonate with your family’s naming tradition or to rhyme with the sibling names? Find a range of alternative names starting with this letter.

Names With Similar Meaning As Benjamin

Do you want more names that have a meaning similar to Benjamin’s? Consider looking for them in the list provided.

Popular Songs On The Name Benjamin

Benjamin has a lyrical presence in various songs. Check them out here.

Song	Artist
Benjamin Button	Yuno Miles
Benjamin - En Vivo	Los Mentados De Culiacán
Benjamin Blümchen Lied	Benjamin Blümchen
Benjamin	Los Mentados De Culiacán
Take You At Your Word (with Benjamin William Hastings) - Live	Cody Carnes
Benjamin Blümchen Lied	Benjamin Blümchen
BENJAMIN COUNTER	Comethazine

Acrostic Poem On Benjamin

Dive into the lyrical charm of the name Benjamin with this acrostic poem. Witness how each letter paints together a story, capturing the name’s individuality, strength, vitality, and sophistication. Inspiring, is it? Why not try a similar poem that describes what you think of your baby’s personality?

Benevolent with the biggest heart.

Energetic life and relentless vigor.

Naughty yet nice, you personify that variety is the spice of life.

Jubilant eyes shining with profound curiosity.

Aspiring and working hard for true success.

Mystical as the star-speckled moonlit night.

Insightful and calm, always a charm.

Nurturing resilience and navigating challenges, never succumbing.

Benjamin’s Zodiac Sign And Birth Star As Per Vedic Astrology

Vedic astrology, also called Jyotisha, provides deep insights into a person’s life based on celestial positions at birth. Rashi and nakshatra, which are an integral part of Jyotisha, are believed to influence an individual’s personality and life events. The following sections give you rashi-related information, such as the associated letters, elements, ruling body, quality, and nakshatra for the name Benjamin. These details help analyze a person’s characteristics, personality, and behavior.

Zodiac Sign (Rashi)

As shown in the following table, each rashi is associated with specific sounds, which are often used as the starting letters of names for newborns in Hindu families. Each rashi is represented by a figure and one of the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether (Space). One ruling celestial body, known as its 'rashi lord' or 'ruler' is assigned to these rashis. These bodies include Venus, Mars, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Furthermore, the rashis are assigned various qualities or gunas.

Rashi (zodiac sign)	Vrishabha (Taurus)
Starting letters for Vrishabha (Taurus) rashi	B, V, U, W
Representation	Bull
Element	Earth
Ruling body	Venus
Quality	Fixed (sthira)

Birth Star (Nakshatra)

Another important aspect of Vedic Astrology is the nakshatras, the lunar constellations or star clusters that the Moon occupies during a person's birth. There are 27 nakshatras, each with its own unique qualities, attributes, and symbolism. Each rashi contains two-and-one-fourth nakshatras in it. For example, Aries contains Ashwini, Bharani, and Krithika nakshatras.

The below table provides information on the nakshatras’ degrees on the zodiac circle, their lords and related syllables, for babies born in the Vrishabha (Taurus) rashi. These syllables/phonetics are popularly used to choose the baby name. For precise nakshatra calculation based on your baby's birthplace and date, use our Nakshatra Calculator.

Nakshatra	Degrees Of The Nakshatra	Nakshatra Lord (Ruler)	Name Syllables
Krittika (Karthikai, Krithika)	Taurus (0 to 10 degrees)	Sun	Aa, Ae, E, Ee, Ai, A, I, Oo, U
Rohini	Taurus (10 to 23.20 degrees)	Moon	O, Va, Vaa, Vi, Vee, Wa, Wu
Mrigashira (Makayiram, Mrigasira)	Taurus (23.20 to 30 degrees)	Mars	Ve, Vo, Ka, Kaa, Ki, Kee, We, Wo

Infographic: Know The Name Benjamin‘s Personality As Per Numerology

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Benjamin In Different Languages

It’s exciting to see our baby’s name spelled and written in various languages. See how people spell Benjamin in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and more! Each language has its own way of saying Benjamin, but it’s still the same special name. Learn how the name looks and sounds in different languages around the world!

Name	Language	Code
Benjamin	English	en
本杰明	Chinese	zh-CN
बेंजामिन	Hindi	hi
Benjamin	Spanish	es
Benjamin	French	fr
بنيامين	Arabic	ar
বেঞ্জামিন	Bengali	bn
Benjamin	Portuguese	pt
Бенджамин	Russian	ru
بنیامین	Urdu	ur
Benjamin	Indonesian	id
Benjamin	German	de
ベンジャミン	Japanese	ja
बेंजामिन	Marathi	mr
బెంజమిన్	Telugu	te
Benjamin	Turkish	tr
பெஞ்சமின்	Tamil	ta
Benjamin	Vietnamese	vi
Benjamin	Tagalog	tl
베냐민	Korean	ko
Benjamin	Hausa	ha
Benjamin	Swahili	sw
Benjamin	Javanese	jv
Benjamin	Italian	it
ਬੈਂਜਾਮਿਨ	Punjabi	pa
બેન્જામિન	Gujarati	gu
เบนจามิน	Thai	th
ಬೆಂಜಮಿನ್	Kannada	kn
ቢንያም	Amharic	am
बेंजामिन	Bhojpuri	bho
Benjamin	Yoruba	yo

How To Communicate The Name Benjamin In Sign Languages

In Nautical Flags

benjamin

In Sign Language

benjamin

In Braille Alphabet

benjamin

In Morse Code

benjamin

Name Numerology For Benjamin

Numerology is an occult system that gives significance to numbers and their influence on human life and destiny. Numerologists attribute specific qualities, energies, and characteristics to a number. Parents who believe in numerology prefer to choose baby names that resonate positively with the child’s unique numerical vibrations, often derived from their date of birth. Here we give a general birth number and personality traits of the name Benjamin, based on the Pythagorean (Western) system. This analysis will differ from child to child based on their date of birth. You may use our numerology calculator for more personalized information.

Baby Name Lists Containing Benjamin

Read through our baby name lists that include the name Benjamin and several other similar names. The wider the choice, the better your selection. Isn't it?

Movie Titles Inspired By The Name Benjamin

Discover the presence of Benjamin in an array of films. Know about the various movies that have this name.

Movie title	Other titles	Release year
Benjamin	Benyamin, Бенджамин, Бенџамин	2019
13 A Ludodrama about Walter Benjamin	13 - Un ludodrame sur Walter Benjamin	2018
Long Live Benjamin		2016
The Storyteller. After Walter Benjamin.		2016
Benjamin Troubles		2015
The Redemption of Benjamin Black		2014
The Passages of Walter Benjamin		2014
Tommy Benjamin		2014

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the meaning of the name Benjamin?

The name Benjamin means ‘the right side or the right hand.’

2. What is the origin of the name Benjamin?

Benjamin has a Hebrew origin.

3. How to pronounce the name Benjamin?

Benjamin is pronounced as ben-ja-min

4. Is Benjamin more commonly used as a first or a middle name?

Benjamin is a traditional Hebrew name commonly used as a first name. In the Bible, Benjamin is the youngest of Jacob’s twelve sons. Because of this, the youngest son in a family born to parents far advanced in age is often given the first name Benjamin, especially if the child is much younger than their siblings. This practice has given rise to the expression ‘Benjamin of the family.’ Benjamin is also used as a middle name, but that usage is less common.

5. What are some famous quotes or sayings related to the name Benjamin?

Benjamin Franklin, a famous American statesman, and inventor, made various statements. Some famous ones are ‘Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man’ and ‘Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.’

Look Up For Many More Names

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