Ben
Short form of Benjamin, from Hebrew Binyamin, usually read as "son of the right hand" or "son of the south." Hebrew ben on its own means "son."
Ben in 2025
Ben was given to 292 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,727th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 11,354 babies born.
The history of Ben
Ben reached its highest point in 1918, when 1,293 babies were given the name, ranking 296th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 132nd, in 1889.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 85,816 babies have been named Ben. Half of them were born before 1945, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Ben by decade
| Decade | Babies named Ben | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,456 | 132 |
| 1890s | 3,163 | 168 |
| 1900s | 3,034 | 233 |
| 1910s | 9,643 | 239 |
| 1920s | 10,746 | 322 |
| 1930s | 8,711 | 347 |
| 1940s | 8,103 | 390 |
| 1950s | 7,796 | 534 |
| 1960s | 7,949 | 515 |
| 1970s | 5,834 | 655 |
| 1980s | 4,522 | 757 |
| 1990s | 3,455 | 1,127 |
| 2000s | 4,177 | 1,126 |
| 2010s | 3,340 | 1,466 |
| 2020s | 1,887 | 1,588 |
Where Ben is heading
Ben has fallen 12% over the past decade, from 331 babies in 2015 to 292 in 2025.
Names like Ben
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Ben.