Benson
Derived from an Old English surname meaning "son of Benne".
Name Census estimates that about 11,637 living Americans carry the first name Benson. It sits at #435 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Benson today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Benson births was 2024 (735 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Benson. 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
12K
~ 1 in 29,454 Americans
Peak year
2024
735 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#435
Tracked since 1887
Gender
Gender distribution for Benson
Out of the 13,113 babies given the name Benson since 1880, 99.9% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Benson as a male name
- Ranked #435 in 2024
- 727 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (729 births)
Benson as a female name
- Ranked #11,231 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (8 births)
Popularity
Benson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Benson from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5,158 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Benson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Benson 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 Benson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bensons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 42 states and territories. California, Utah, New York recorded the most babies named Benson, while Mississippi, Montana, Maine recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 213 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Benson
The name Benson has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the words "ben" meaning "bean" and "son" meaning "son." This combination suggests that the name originally referred to "the son of a bean farmer" or someone associated with the cultivation of beans. The name emerged in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Benson can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and property rights in England compiled in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Bensun" and "Benson," indicating its widespread use at the time.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the name Benson was Saint Benson, an English Catholic martyr who was executed in 1590 for his refusal to renounce his faith during the English Reformation. He was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1970.
In the realm of literature, the name Benson gained prominence through the works of Arthur Christopher Benson (1862-1925), an English essayist, poet, and author best known for his autobiographical works, including "The Leaves of the Tree" and "The House of Quiet."
Another notable bearer of the name was Edward Frederic Benson (1867-1940), an English novelist and biographer, and the elder brother of E.F. Benson. He is best known for his biographical works on figures such as Queen Victoria and Alwyn Carr.
In the field of astronomy, William Samuel Benson (1855-1932) was an English amateur astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of variable stars and double stars. He was also a prolific writer on astronomical topics.
Frank Weston Benson (1862-1951) was an American Impressionist painter and a member of the Ten American Painters group. He is renowned for his works depicting scenes of daily life, particularly those featuring children and coastal landscapes.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Benson throughout history, reflecting its longevity and enduring presence across various fields and cultures.
People
Benson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Benson 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
Benson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11,637 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Benson 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 29,454 US residents.
Is Benson a common name?
We classify Benson as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13,113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Benson most popular?
The single biggest year for Benson was 2024, when 735 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Benson is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Benson a male name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Benson 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.