boy's name
Benson
BEN-sun
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 16,190
the United States
#279
2025 births
Benson is a boy's name of English origin meaning "son of Ben", where Ben is a medieval short form of Benedict rather than of Benjamin. It is also a place name in Oxfordshire, and both the patronymic and the village feed the surname.
- Benson is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,227 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,702 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1887.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Benson 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 | 23 |
| 1890s | 22 |
| 1900s | 34 |
| 1910s | 285 |
| 1920s | 396 |
| 1930s | 290 |
| 1940s | 388 |
| 1950s | 460 |
| 1960s | 432 |
| 1970s | 509 |
| 1980s | 540 |
| 1990s | 643 |
| 2000s | 1,318 |
| 2010s | 5,159 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,845 |
What Benson means
Benson means son of Ben. The Ben behind it is usually Benedict, from the Latin benedictus, blessed, which was far more common as a medieval English given name than Benjamin was.
Where Benson comes from
Benson has two English sources. As a patronymic it means son of Ben, and the medieval Ben was almost always short for Benedict, from the Latin benedictus, blessed — Benjamin only became common in England after the Reformation. Separately there is Benson in Oxfordshire, recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Bensington, the settlement of Benesa's people, and families from there took the place as their name. The two lines are indistinguishable today. First-name use is modern, and in Kenya and parts of East Africa Benson has been a common given name since the missionary period.
Benson in use
Benson appears in our records from 1887 and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Benson?
In 2025, Benson was given to 1,227 babies in the United States, ranking #279 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Benson 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 Benson
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Benson also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Benson over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Benson
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Sibling names for Benson
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Benson — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Benson
What does the name Benson mean?
Son of Ben, where Ben is a medieval short form of Benedict, meaning blessed.
Is Benson related to Benjamin?
Usually not. The Ben in Benson is normally Benedict, which was the common medieval English name; Benjamin became widespread only after the Reformation.
Is Benson a place name?
Also yes. Benson in Oxfordshire appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Bensington, and some families take the surname from the village.
How popular is the name Benson?
In 2025, Benson was given to 1,227 babies in the United States, ranking #279 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Benson a girl's or a boy's name?
Benson is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Benson?
Benson has 2 syllables.
When was Benson most popular?
Benson peaked in 2025, when 1,227 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Benson?
Benson is usually shortened to Ben and Bennie.
Is Benson a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Benson currently ranks #267 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.