Benham
A masculine given name of English origin meaning "bent meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Benham. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Benham today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Benham births was 2016 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Benham. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Benham. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
2016
8 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2018 SSA rank
#12,393
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Benham: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Benham 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 Benham during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 13 | 0 | 13 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Benham
The given name Benham has its roots in the Arabic language, where it is derived from the word "banham," meaning "fragrant" or "sweet-smelling." This name can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 8th century AD, when it was commonly used among Arab communities in the Middle East and North Africa.
In the 10th century, the name Benham gained popularity among Muslim scholars and philosophers, with prominent figures like Benham al-Haytham, a renowned physicist and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of optics. He was born in Basra, Iraq, around 965 AD and is widely regarded as one of the first theorists of the scientific method.
The name Benham can also be found in ancient Islamic texts and religious scriptures, particularly in the context of describing the fragrance of paradise or the sweet-smelling gardens promised to the righteous in the afterlife.
During the Crusades, the name Benham was introduced to Europe through interactions between Christian and Muslim cultures. Over time, it gained popularity in various European regions, with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation, such as Beneham, Benneham, or Beneam.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Benham in Europe can be found in the historical records of England, where a nobleman named Benham de Taunton was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Benham, including:
1. Benham Bingley (1801-1869), an English naturalist and writer known for his works on natural history.
2. Benham Hay (1815-1867), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia.
3. Benham Lockwood (1786-1868), an American lawyer and judge who served as the Attorney General of New York.
4. Benham Denniston (1800-1865), a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Arctic expeditions.
5. Benham Browne (1838-1917), an English painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life.
While the name Benham may not be as prevalent today as it once was, its rich history and cultural significance make it a unique and intriguing choice for parents seeking a name with deep historical roots and a connection to the fragrant and sweet-smelling imagery associated with its origins.
People
Benham + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Benham 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
Benham: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benham?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Benham 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Benham a common name?
We classify Benham as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Benham most popular?
The single biggest year for Benham was 2016, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Benham is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Benham in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Benham a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Benham 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.
Is Benham still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Benham in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Benham can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Benham?
See how many people have the name Benham on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.