Benjamin
Say it: BEN-ja-min/ˈbɛnd͡ʒəmɪn/
BoyMeans son of the right hand, or son of days8 letters3 syllables
#83
in Ireland (2025)
#86 with spellings combined
71
babies in 2025
#52
best rank (2020)
3,975
babies since 1964
Down 28
10-year rank change
Benjamin through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 71 | #86 |
| 2024 | 79 | #77 |
| 2023 | 89 | #74 |
| 2022 | 76 | #84 |
| 2021 | 106 | #68 |
| 2020 | 120 | #52 |
| 2019 | 87 | #78 |
| 2018 | 124 | #56 |
| 2017 | 105 | #69 |
| 2016 | 128 | #58 |
| 2015 | 134 | #58 |
| 2014 | 134 | #63 |
| 2013 | 115 | #68 |
| 2012 | 116 | #68 |
| 2011 | 108 | #74 |
| 2010 | 126 | #65 |
| 2009 | 115 | #68 |
| 2008 | 139 | #63 |
| 2007 | 145 | #56 |
| 2006 | 109 | #68 |
| 2005 | 143 | #55 |
| 2004 | 135 | #57 |
| 2003 | 129 | #53 |
| 2002 | 125 | #53 |
| 2001 | 97 | #66 |
| 2000 | 88 | #67 |
| 1999 | 77 | #75 |
| 1998 | 65 | #77 |
| 1997 | 70 | #84 |
| 1996 | 64 | #88 |
| 1995 | 48 | #107 |
| 1994 | 57 | #95 |
| 1993 | 43 | #116 |
| 1992 | 60 | #95 |
| 1991 | 50 | #103 |
| 1990 | 37 | #117 |
| 1989 | 27 | #136 |
| 1988 | 32 | #128 |
| 1987 | 31 | #134 |
| 1986 | 34 | #122 |
| 1985 | 36 | #121 |
| 1984 | 32 | #124 |
| 1983 | 17 | #161 |
| 1982 | 13 | #179 |
| 1981 | 15 | #176 |
| 1980 | 9 | #222 |
| 1979 | 27 | #135 |
| 1978 | 15 | #174 |
| 1977 | 18 | #166 |
| 1976 | 13 | #190 |
| 1975 | 10 | #210 |
| 1974 | 13 | #190 |
| 1973 | 9 | #215 |
| 1972 | 9 | #207 |
| 1971 | 12 | #184 |
| 1970 | 13 | #173 |
| 1969 | 15 | #154 |
| 1968 | 12 | #161 |
| 1967 | 17 | #132 |
| 1966 | 7 | #185 |
| 1965 | 12 | #148 |
| 1964 | 13 | #139 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Benjamin mean?
Son of the right hand, or son of days
Hebrew Binyamin, through Greek and Latin.
Say it right
BENjamin
The story of Benjamin
Benjamin comes from the Hebrew Binyamin and reached English through Greek and Latin. Its meaning is debated. The usual reading is “son of the right hand”, with the right hand standing for favour or the south. Some early sources read the second part as “days”, giving “son of days”, meaning a child born in old age.
In the Bible, Benjamin is the youngest of the twelve sons of Jacob, and the second son of Rachel, who died giving birth to him. Because of him, “a Benjamin” can mean the youngest and favourite child in a family.
Benjamin was rare in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s and picked up from the mid-1980s. The most babies came in 2007, with 145 boys, while its best rank was number 50 in 2020. It did even better in Northern Ireland, where it reached 22nd in 2002.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Benjamin (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Benjamin (name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
BenBenji
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin | 71 | 3,975 |
In Northern Ireland
#61 in 2025 with 37 babies. Best rank #22 (2002); 1,880 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.