Benjain
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "son of the right hand".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Benjain. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Benjain today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Benjain births was 1981 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Benjain. 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 Benjain. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1981
5 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1985 SSA rank
#6,620
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Benjain: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Benjain 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 Benjain during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Benjain
The name Benjain is derived from the Hebrew name Binyamin, which means "son of the right hand" or "son of the south." The name originated in ancient Israel and is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from Benjamin, the youngest son of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel.
The name Binyamin first appeared in the Book of Genesis, where it is stated that Rachel named her second son Ben-Oni, meaning "son of my sorrow," but Jacob called him Binyamin. The name Binyamin is also mentioned in the Book of Judges, where it is associated with the Benjamite tribe, known for their skill in warfare and archery.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Benjain was Benjamin of Tudela, a 12th-century Jewish traveler and scholar who traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and Europe, documenting Jewish communities and their customs. His writings provide valuable insights into the Jewish diaspora during that time period.
Another notable figure with the name Benjain was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a writer, inventor, scientist, and statesman, known for his contributions to the American Revolution and his experiments with electricity.
In the 19th century, Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) was a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was known for his witty speeches and his novels, which offered satirical portrayals of British society.
The name Benjain also appears in religious contexts, such as Benjamin Kennicott (1718-1783), an English theologian and Hebrew scholar who compiled a critical edition of the Hebrew Bible based on ancient manuscripts.
In the 20th century, Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was a renowned English composer, conductor, and pianist, known for his operas and orchestral works, including the War Requiem and the opera Peter Grimes.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Benjain, reflecting its enduring popularity and cultural significance across various disciplines and time periods.
People
Benjain + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Benjain 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
Benjain: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benjain?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Benjain 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Benjain a common name?
We classify Benjain as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Benjain most popular?
The single biggest year for Benjain was 1981, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Benjain is about 41 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 Benjain in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Benjain a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Benjain 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 Benjain still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Benjain 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 Benjain 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 many people are called Benjain?
Find out how many people have the name Benjain on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.