Benjaman
Son of the right hand, fortunate son.
Name Census estimates that about 1,007 living Americans carry the first name Benjaman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Benjaman today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Benjaman births was 1977 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Benjaman. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 340,372 Americans
Peak year
1977
44 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,252
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Benjaman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Benjaman from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 317 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Benjaman 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 Benjaman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Benjamans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Alabama, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Benjaman, while Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Benjaman
The name Benjaman is derived from the Hebrew name Benjamin, which means "son of the right hand" or "son of the south". Its origins can be traced back to the biblical figure Benjamin, one of the twelve sons of Jacob in the Book of Genesis.
In the Old Testament, Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel. He was born to Rachel on the way to Bethlehem, and she sadly died during childbirth. The name Benjamin is mentioned numerous times throughout the Hebrew Bible and is considered a significant figure in the history of the Israelites.
The earliest recorded use of the name Benjaman can be found in ancient Hebrew texts and manuscripts from the first century AD. While the spelling variations of "Benjaman" and "Benjamin" were used interchangeably during this time, the former was more prevalent in certain regions of the Middle East.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Benjaman was Benjaman ben Jonah, a Jewish scholar and philosopher from the 12th century who lived in Navarre, Spain. He was renowned for his work in the field of astronomy and contributed significantly to the understanding of celestial phenomena during his time.
Another notable figure was Benjaman Disraeli, a British politician and writer who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1868 to 1868 and from 1874 to 1880. He was born in 1804 and played a significant role in shaping the policies of the British Empire during the Victorian era.
In the realm of literature, Benjaman Franklin, born in 1706, was a renowned American author, printer, philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. His works, such as "Poor Richard's Almanack" and his contributions to the American Revolution, have made him an iconic figure in American history.
Moving into the 20th century, Benjaman Britten, born in 1913, was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, with notable works like the opera "Peter Grimes" and the "War Requiem".
Finally, Benjaman Zephaniah, born in 1958, is a British writer, dub poet, and Rastafarian activist. He is known for his unique blend of poetry and music, often addressing social and political issues, and has been a prominent voice in the literary world for several decades.
People
Benjaman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Benjaman 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
Benjaman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benjaman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,007 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Benjaman 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 340,372 US residents.
Is Benjaman a common name?
We classify Benjaman as "Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,024 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Benjaman most popular?
The single biggest year for Benjaman was 1977, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Benjaman is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Benjaman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Benjaman 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.