NameCensus.
Very Rare

Bensen

A name of English origin derived from the surname Benson.

Name Census estimates that about 376 living Americans carry the first name Bensen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bensen today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bensen births was 2015 (31 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Bensen. 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

376

~ 1 in 911,581 Americans

Peak year

2015

31 babies that year

Average age

10

years old

2024 SSA rank

#3,605

Tracked since 2004

Popularity

Bensen: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Bensen from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 224 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bensen remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.

Babies born per year

081623312005201020152020

Decades

Bensen 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 Bensen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s42042
2010s2240224
2020s1130113

Geography

Where Bensens live

Origin

Meaning and history of Bensen

The given name Bensen is believed to have originated from the Dutch language, with its roots traced back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be a patronymic surname derived from the personal name "Ben," which itself is a shortened form of the Hebrew name "Benjamin," meaning "son of the right hand" or "son of the south."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bensen can be found in historical records from the Netherlands, where it was often used as a surname among Dutch families. During this time, surnames were commonly derived from personal names, occupations, or geographical locations, and Bensen likely emerged as a patronymic surname indicating "son of Ben."

In the 16th century, the name Bensen appeared in the writings of Dutch humanist and philosopher Erasmus, who mentioned a person by that name in his correspondence. However, it is unclear whether this was a first name or a surname.

As the Dutch exploration and colonization efforts expanded in the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Bensen may have been carried to various parts of the world by Dutch settlers and immigrants. This could explain its subsequent appearance in historical records and genealogical records from different regions.

One notable figure who bore the name Bensen was Herman Bensen, a Dutch artist and engraver who lived from 1692 to 1768. He was known for his intricate engravings and illustrations, which depicted various subjects, including landscapes, portraits, and religious scenes.

Another individual with the name Bensen was Johann Bensen, a German composer and organist who lived from 1757 to 1826. He was renowned for his compositions for the organ and is considered one of the most influential organ composers of his time.

In the 19th century, there was a Swedish botanist named Johan Bensen, who lived from 1799 to 1875. He made significant contributions to the field of botany, particularly in the study of Scandinavian flora.

One of the most notable figures with the name Bensen was Albert Bensen, an American engineer and inventor who lived from 1886 to 1968. He is credited with the development of the first successful gyrocopter, a type of aircraft that combines the principles of a helicopter and an autogyro.

Finally, in the 20th century, there was a British actor named Robert Bensen, who was born in 1909 and passed away in 1987. He had a prolific career on stage and screen, appearing in numerous plays and films throughout his lifetime.

People

Bensen + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Bensen 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

Bensen: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Bensen?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 376 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bensen 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 911,581 US residents.

Is Bensen a common name?

We classify Bensen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 379 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Bensen most popular?

The single biggest year for Bensen was 2015, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bensen is about 10 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 Bensen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Bensen a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bensen 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 Bensen still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Bensen 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 Bensen 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 named Bensen?

Want to know how many Americans are named Bensen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.

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There are 376 people

with the first name

Bensen

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