Bejamin
Son of the right hand, favored one.
Name Census estimates that about 437 living Americans carry the first name Bejamin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bejamin today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bejamin births was 1986 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bejamin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
437
~ 1 in 784,335 Americans
Peak year
1986
29 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2022 SSA rank
#7,827
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Bejamin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bejamin from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 198 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bejamin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bejamin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bejamins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bejamin
The name Bejamin is derived from the Hebrew name Benjamin, which means "son of the right hand" or "son of the south." The name has its origins in the biblical figure Benjamin, one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The name Benjamin is first mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, where it is said to have been given to the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel. According to the biblical account, Rachel died while giving birth to Benjamin, and as she was dying, she named him Ben-Oni, which means "son of my sorrow." However, Jacob later changed his name to Benjamin.
In ancient times, the name Benjamin was primarily used among the Jewish and Christian communities, as it was a name with strong biblical roots. However, over time, the name gained popularity in other cultures and regions, with various spellings and variations emerging.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Benjamin can be found in the Bible, where it is mentioned numerous times, particularly in the Book of Genesis and the Book of Judges. Additionally, the name appears in other ancient texts, such as the Talmud and the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Benjamin. These include:
1. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), an American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
2. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), a British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
3. Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), an English composer, conductor, and pianist.
4. Benjamin Netanyahu (born 1949), an Israeli politician who has served multiple terms as the Prime Minister of Israel.
5. Benjamin Zephaniah (born 1958), a British writer, dub poet, and Rastafarian activist.
The name Bejamin, while less common than the traditional spelling of Benjamin, is likely a variation or alternative spelling that has emerged over time, possibly due to cultural or regional influences. However, its meaning and origins remain tied to the biblical figure and the Hebrew roots of the name.
People
Bejamin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bejamin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bejamin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bejamin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 437 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bejamin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 784,335 US residents.
Is Bejamin a common name?
We classify Bejamin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 457 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bejamin most popular?
The single biggest year for Bejamin was 1986, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bejamin is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bejamin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bejamin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.