boy's name
Benji
- Origin Japanese
- Gender Boy
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 3,223
Scotland
#617
2024 births
Benji is a boy's name. In 2025 it was given to 142 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Benji is a name of Japanese origin.
- Peaked in 1975, when 176 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 23,348 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1952.
Benji over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 70 |
| 1960s | 155 |
| 1970s | 602 |
| 1980s | 157 |
| 1990s | 87 |
| 2000s | 137 |
| 2010s | 459 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 681 |
How popular is Benji?
In 2025, Benji was given to 142 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Benji 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 Benji
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Benji also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Benji over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Benji 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.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Benjie
Sibling names for Benji
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Benji — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Benji
How popular is the name Benji?
In 2025, Benji was given to 142 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Benji a girl's or a boy's name?
Benji is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Benji most popular?
Benji peaked in 1975, when 176 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Benji a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Benji currently ranks #617 in the United States. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.