boy's name
Benny
BEN-ee
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 50,675
the United States
#842
2025 births
Benny means son of the right hand, and Jacob overruled the name at the deathbed — Rachel called the child son of my sorrow as she died, and his father renamed him on the spot.
- Benny is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1948, when 1,074 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1940s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 10,201 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Benny 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 | 53 |
| 1890s | 109 |
| 1900s | 263 |
| 1910s | 1,651 |
| 1920s | 3,927 |
| 1930s | 6,986 |
| 1940s | 9,401 |
| 1950s | 8,890 |
| 1960s | 5,724 |
| 1970s | 3,352 |
| 1980s | 2,360 |
| 1990s | 1,828 |
| 2000s | 1,749 |
| 2010s | 1,409 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,442 |
What Benny means
Benny means son of the right hand, carried from Benjamin. The right hand stood for favor and strength in Hebrew, so the name marks a favored son rather than a physical trait.
Where Benny comes from
Benny is a pet form of Benjamin, the Hebrew Binyamin — ben, son, joined to yamin, the right hand, which signified favor, strength and the south. Genesis has Rachel name the boy Ben-oni, son of my sorrow, as she dies in childbirth, and Jacob immediately rename him. It is one of very few places in the Hebrew Bible where a name is overruled as it is given. Bennie, elsewhere on this site, is the other spelling.
Benny in use
Benny peaked in the United States in 1948, when 1,074 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 336th in Ireland on 12 births, 340th in Scotland on 11, 567th in England and Wales on 69 and 842nd in the United States on 325, across 50,675 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. England and Wales set its own peak in the most recent year we hold.
How popular is Benny?
In 2025, Benny was given to 325 babies in the United States, ranking #842 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Benny 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 Benny
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Benny also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Benny over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Benny 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 Benny
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Benny — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Benny
What does the name Benny mean?
Son of the right hand — from Benjamin, where the right hand signified favor.
What was Benjamin first called?
Ben-oni, son of my sorrow, named by Rachel as she died. Jacob renamed him at once.
Is Bennie the same name?
Yes — the other spelling, written up separately here.
Is Benny coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, and England and Wales set its peak in the most recent year we hold.
How popular is the name Benny?
In 2025, Benny was given to 325 babies in the United States, ranking #842 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Benny a girl's or a boy's name?
Benny is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Benny?
Benny has 2 syllables.
When was Benny most popular?
Benny peaked in 1948, when 1,074 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1940s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Benny a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Benny currently ranks #336 in the United States. After peaking in the 1940s 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.