Benuel
Son of God's strength, a Hebrew name of Biblical origins.
Name Census estimates that about 881 living Americans carry the first name Benuel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Benuel today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Benuel births was 2021 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Benuel. 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
881
~ 1 in 389,051 Americans
Peak year
2021
33 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,890
Tracked since 1945
Popularity
Benuel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Benuel from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 204 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Benuel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Benuel 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 Benuel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Benuels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Benuel
The name Benuel is a Hebrew name with roots in the Old Testament. It is a combination of two Hebrew words: "ben," meaning "son," and "El," which is one of the names for God. Thus, Benuel can be interpreted as "son of God" or "son of the Almighty."
The earliest recorded instance of the name Benuel appears in the Book of Genesis, where it is mentioned as the name of one of the sons of Benjamin, the youngest son of the patriarch Jacob. This biblical reference places the origin of the name Benuel in ancient Israelite culture, dating back to around the 2nd millennium BC.
Throughout history, the name Benuel has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded examples is Benuel of Todi, an Italian Benedictine monk and chronicler who lived in the 12th century. He is best known for his work, "Chronicon," which documented the history of the Benedictine monastery in Todi.
Another notable Benuel was Benuel Saunders (1726-1806), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Bethlem Royal Hospital and the Foundling Hospital.
In the realm of literature, Benuel is the name of a character in the novel "The Deerslayer" by James Fenimore Cooper, published in 1841. The character is a Native American who plays a significant role in the story.
A more recent example is Benuel Sinfuego (1879-1947), a Filipino revolutionary and general who fought against the American occupation of the Philippines in the early 20th century. He was a prominent figure in the Philippine Revolutionary Army and played a crucial role in the resistance movement.
Lastly, Benuel Termansen (1927-2001) was a Norwegian writer and journalist who gained recognition for his works on polar exploration and the history of Norway's far north regions. His book "Svalbard – Arktiske Utfordringer" (Svalbard – Arctic Challenges) is considered a seminal work on the subject.
These are just a few notable individuals who have borne the name Benuel throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Benuel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Benuel 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
Benuel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benuel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 881 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Benuel 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 389,051 US residents.
Is Benuel a common name?
We classify Benuel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 915 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Benuel most popular?
The single biggest year for Benuel was 2021, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Benuel is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Benuel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Benuel 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.