Ben

Ben: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“son”
Origin
Hebrew
Say it
BEN · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys

Short form of Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, and other names; as an independent Hebrew word, ben means 'son.' In English usage it is most often understood as the familiar form of Benjamin.

How popular is Ben?

202494.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Ben in 2024313

2024 rank#801 boys

Peak year1889

Total US babies since 188085,516

Ben is steady now but far below its 1889 peak.

Names like Ben

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Benjaminson of the right hand · Hebrew
  • Bennieson of the right hand · English
  • Noahrest; comfort · Hebrew
  • Jamessupplanter · Hebrew
  • Elijahmy God is Yahweh · Hebrew
  • JohnYahweh is gracious · Hebrew
  • Michaelwho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Levijoined, attached · Hebrew

Ben questions

What does the name Ben mean?

Ben means "son". It comes from Hebrew. Short form of Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, and other names; as an independent Hebrew word, ben means 'son.' In English usage it is most often understood as the familiar form of Benjamin.

Is Ben a boy or girl name?

Ben is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ben?

313 US babies were named Ben in 2024. Its peak year was 1889.

How do you pronounce Ben?

Ben is usually pronounced BEN.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.