Benjamin is a male given name of Hebrew origin. It means "son of the right hand" or "favorite son." The name Benjamin is derived from the Hebrew name Binyamin, which is composed of the elements ben ("son") and yamin ("right"). In the Old Testament of the Bible, Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, and one of the twelve tribes of Israel was named after him. Throughout history, the name Benjamin has been associated with figures such as Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father of the United States and one of the signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Today, Benjamin remains a popular given name for boys around the world.
The name Benjamin has a rich history and a significant presence in the United States. According to available data from the Social Security Administration, there were several peaks in popularity for the name Benjamin over the past few decades.
In the early 1960s, Benjamin was not very popular, with only five births registered each year in 1960 and 1962. However, it started to gain traction by 1963 with six births recorded that year. The popularity of the name fluctuated throughout the following decades but began to rise significantly in the late 1970s.
In 1974, there were ten births registered for Benjamin, which increased to fifteen births in 1975 and remained at twelve births each year from 1976 to 1978. The name Benjamin peaked in popularity during the early to mid-1980s, with twenty-eight births recorded in both 1986 and 1987.
Despite a slight decrease in popularity after this peak, Benjamin remained relatively popular throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. There were nineteen births registered for Benjamin in 1983 and eighteen births each year from 1985 to 1989. The name continued to have consistent popularity with fifteen births recorded in 1990 and 1991.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Benjamin's popularity started to decline again but remained stable. There were seven births registered for Benjamin each year from 1993 to 1996, with a small increase in popularity in 1995 with fourteen births recorded.
The name Benjamin has seen some fluctuations in popularity over the past few years. In 2004 and 2006, there were eight and nine births registered respectively, followed by six births each year from 2008 to 2010. However, there was a resurgence in popularity for Benjamin in recent years, with ten births recorded in both 2022.
Overall, the name Benjamin has had a significant presence in the United States over the past few decades, with a total of 457 births registered since 1960. Despite some fluctuations in popularity, Benjamin has remained a popular choice for parents looking for a classic and enduring name for their sons.