Hebrew meaning: A son of the south, or the son of the right hand
Spanish meaning: Born of the right hand
The meaning of the name “Benjamin” is different in several languages, countries and cultures and has more than one possibly same or different meanings available.
Additional information: This is a male name which is pronounced as /BEN jah min/. It means either “son of the right hand” or “son of the south.” The first name implies a close relationship with the son taken as the son to be sitting at your right hand. “Benjamin” comes from the Hebrew name “Binyamin.” The biblical story of Benjamin, the twelfth and youngest son of Jacob, mentions that he was originally named “Bin-‘oniy,” which translates to “son of my sorrow,” but his name was changed after his mother’s death.
The nicknames that are given to the people who are called by this name include:Ben, Benny, Bennie, Benji, Benjy and Bibi. Its feminine form is Benjamine. It is also commonly found as a surname. Benjamin" is slang for the US 100 dollar bill.
It is spelt different by people from different parts of the world. It is spelt as Binyamin in Arabic, Beniamin in Greek, Bannerjee in Irish, Benjamim in Portuguese, Venyamin in Russian and as Benjemín in Spanish.
In 2015, Benjamin entered the top 10 list of the most popular boy names, ranking at the 10th position. For 2014, it was the 12thmost popular name in the United States. In Canada, it ranks number 7, and number 28 in the United Kingdom. Some of the celebrities who are called Benjamin are: Benjamin Franklin who is an American statesman, inventor, and diplomat, Benjamin Netanyahu who is the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Harrison who was a U.S. president, Benjamin “Ben” Affleck who is an American actor, Benjamin “Ben” Stiller who is an American actor, Benjamin Button the protagonist of the F. Scott Fitzgerald story that bears his name and Benjamin Braddock the protagonist of the film The Graduate.
Traditional with origins in the Bible, the name Benjamin has remained a classic, strong boy’s name since at least the 18th century. While the name has always stayed in the top 100, it has been steadily growing in popularity in the United States, climbing from 26th place to 12th place between 2000 and 2014. Benjamin was the 24th most popular boy's name in the US in 2006, and the 11th most popular in the UK. If you want to pay homage to polyglot founding father Ben Franklin, or give your son a traditional name, Benjamin is an excellent option. Its many nicknames offer possibilities if you don’t always want to use the admittedly long name, and more distinctive variants are available from foreign languages.
The first thing you should know if you are considering Benjamin for your baby's name is that in most countries all over the world the name Benjamin is a boy name.
The name Benjamin is of Hebrew origin, and is used in more than one countries and different languages of the world, especially English speaking countries, French speaking countries, Hebrew speaking countries, Spanish speaking countries among others.
If you consider naming your baby Benjamin we recommend you take note of the special meaning and history of the name as your baby’s name will play a big role in its life and your baby will hear it spoken every day. Searching for a name is a very important and fun process as it’s the very first gift you will give to your baby. Many people believe that the name can affect success in life, through their children's working career and other circumstances, so they choose more “respectable” names or name meanings as they believe that the name meaning reflects the personality of the child.
Benjamin Name Meaning
The meaning of Benjamin has more than one different etymologies. It has same or different meanings in other countries and languages. The different meanings of the name Benjamin are:
American meaning: Born of the right hand
French meaning: Born of the right hand
Hebrew meaning: A son of the south, or the son of the right hand
Spanish meaning: Born of the right hand
Keep in mind that many names may have different meanings in other countries and languages, so be careful that the name that you choose doesn’t mean something bad or unpleasant. Search comprehensively and find the name meaning of Benjamin and its name origin or of any other name in our database. Also note the spelling and the pronunciation of the name Benjamin and check the initials of the name with your last name to discover how it looks and sounds. The history and meaning of the name Benjamin is fascinating, learn more about it. (If you know more meanings of the name and you would like to contribute click here to submit another name meaning).
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Name Benjamin Categories
The name Benjamin is in the following categories: African American Names, American Names, Australian Names, Biblical Names, British Names, Canadian Names, Celebrity Names, Chilean Names, Christian Names, Classic Names, English Names, French Names, Hebrew Names, Jewish Names, Literary Characters Names, New Zealand Names, Pirate Names, Surnames Names. (If you would like to suggest one or more categories for the name, click here). We have plenty of different baby name categories to search for special meanings plus popular and unique names, search our database before choosing but also note that baby name categories designed to help you and not to be an influential factor when choosing a name. Instead, we recommend that you pay a greater attention to the origin and meaning of the name Benjamin. Read our baby name articles for useful tips regarding baby names and naming your baby. If you are thinking of giving your baby the beautiful name Benjamin, spread the love and share this with your friends.
Popularity of the Name Benjamin
Below you will find the popularity of the baby name Benjamin displayed annually, from 1880 to the present day in our name popularity chart. Hover over or click on the dots that represent a year to see how many babies were given the name for that year, for both genders, if available.
Benjamin Boy Name Popularity Chart
Benjamin Girl Name Popularity Chart
Note:The data above is from the Social Security Administrator of United States, (more info here) from Social Security card applications for births in US for every name, from 1880 up to the present year. The gender associated with the name might be incorrect, as the data presents the record applications without being edited for errors. The name's popularity and ranking is announced annually, so the data for this year will not be available until next year. The more babies that are given a name, the higher popularity ranking the name receives. For names with the same popularity, the tie is solved by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. This means that if two or more names have the same popularity their rankings may differ significantly, as they are set in alphabetical order. If a name has less than five occurrences, the SSA excludes it from the provided data to protect privacy.
If you’re not sure yet, see our wide selection of both boy names and girl names all over the world to find the ideal name for your new born baby. We offer a comprehensive and meaningful list of popular names and cool names along with the name's origin, meaning, pronunciation, popularity and additional information.
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