boy's name
Ben
BEN
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 146,000
the United States
#845
2025 births
Ben is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "son," used both as a short form of Benjamin and as a name in its own right. It ranks 40th in Ireland.
- Ben is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 1,293 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 11,354 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ben over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,456 |
| 1890s | 3,163 |
| 1900s | 3,034 |
| 1910s | 9,643 |
| 1920s | 10,746 |
| 1930s | 8,711 |
| 1940s | 8,103 |
| 1950s | 7,796 |
| 1960s | 7,949 |
| 1970s | 5,834 |
| 1980s | 4,522 |
| 1990s | 3,455 |
| 2000s | 4,177 |
| 2010s | 3,340 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,887 |
What Ben means
Ben means son. On its own the Hebrew ben is simply that word, and as a short form of Benjamin it carries the fuller sense of son of the right hand, which in Hebrew idiom means the favored or fortunate son.
Where Ben comes from
Ben is the Hebrew ben, son, the element behind hundreds of patronymics from Ben-Gurion to Benhadad. As a given name in English it is almost always a shortening — usually of Benjamin, from Binyamin, son of the right hand, the youngest of Jacob's twelve sons, and sometimes of Benedict, from the Latin benedictus, blessed, which is a different word entirely. Jacob's wife Rachel named the child Ben-oni, son of my sorrow, as she died; Jacob renamed him Binyamin, and the reversal is one of the more pointed naming moments in Genesis. A separate Scottish thread confuses matters: beinn is the Gaelic for a mountain, which is why Ben Nevis and Ben Lomond exist, but that has never fed the personal name. Ben became a standalone given name in Britain and Ireland from the 1970s, when parents began registering short forms rather than shortening long ones.
Ben in use
Ben ranks 40th in Ireland with 121 births in 2025, its strongest position anywhere: 122nd in Scotland, 487th in England and Wales, 845th in the United States. Our records mark it stable and carry it from 1880, though the early entries reflect its use as a nickname rather than the standalone registration that drives current numbers. Its peak in our data is 1918.
How popular is Ben?
In 2025, Ben was given to 292 babies in the United States, ranking #845 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Ben is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Ben
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ben also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ben over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Ben in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Ben
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ben — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ben
What does the name Ben mean?
Ben means "son" in Hebrew. As a short form of Benjamin it carries the sense of son of the right hand.
Is Ben short for Benjamin or Benedict?
Usually Benjamin. Benedict is a separate Latin name meaning blessed, and Ben serves as its short form too.
Is Ben related to Ben Nevis?
No. That is the Gaelic beinn, a mountain, and it has never fed the personal name.
How popular is Ben?
Fortieth in Ireland, which is its strongest position in any market we hold.
Is Ben a girl's or a boy's name?
Ben is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ben?
Ben has 1 syllable.
Is Ben a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ben currently ranks #40 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.