Bentzion
A Hebrew name meaning "son of Zion" or "the builder of Zion".
Name Census estimates that about 526 living Americans carry the first name Bentzion. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bentzion today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bentzion births was 2024 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bentzion. 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
526
~ 1 in 651,624 Americans
Peak year
2024
46 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,788
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Bentzion: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bentzion from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 197 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bentzion remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bentzion 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 Bentzion during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bentzions live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bentzion
The given name Bentzion originates from the Hebrew language and Jewish culture. It is a combination of two Hebrew words, "ben" meaning "son" and "tzion" meaning "Zion" or "Jerusalem." This name dates back to ancient times when the Jewish people were living in the land of Israel.
Bentzion was likely first used as a name during the biblical era, as the word "Zion" is frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, referring to the city of Jerusalem or the land of Israel. The name may have been given to children as a way of expressing a connection to the holy city and the Jewish homeland.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Bentzion can be found in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism compiled between the 3rd and 6th centuries CE. In the Talmud, there is a reference to a Rabbi Bentzion, although little is known about his life and exact time period.
Throughout Jewish history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bentzion. One of the most famous was Bentzion Meir Hai Uzziel (1880-1953), a influential Sephardic Rabbi and scholar who served as the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine from 1939 to 1948.
Another notable Bentzion was Bentzion Milecki (1866-1918), a Polish Hassidic Rabbi and founder of the Monor Hasidic dynasty. He was born in Monor, Hungary, and was known for his Torah scholarship and spiritual leadership.
In the 20th century, Bentzion Shenker (1920-2008) was a prominent Israeli politician and member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) from 1965 to 1981. He was born in Poland and served as the Minister of Religious Affairs in the Israeli government.
Bentzion Shamir (1910-1982) was an Israeli writer and journalist who was born in Russia and immigrated to British Mandatory Palestine in the 1920s. He wrote several books and articles about the history and culture of the Jewish people.
Bentzion Netzar (1920-2005) was an Israeli military leader and politician who served as a member of the Knesset from 1965 to 1977. He was born in Poland and participated in the Jewish resistance during World War II before immigrating to Israel.
People
Bentzion + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bentzion 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
Bentzion: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bentzion?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 526 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bentzion 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 651,624 US residents.
Is Bentzion a common name?
We classify Bentzion as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 532 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bentzion most popular?
The single biggest year for Bentzion was 2024, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bentzion is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bentzion a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bentzion 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.