Ben

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

Ben is a masculine given name. It is often short for Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson, and Ebenezer. Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as Ben or bin, Ibn/ebn. Ben is a Chinese surname.

From Wikipedia

Ben first appears in the data in 1991 and has been recorded in 34 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 2017 with 124 babies (rank #287 that year). In 2024 it was given to 72 boys (rank #431). Its popularity has been fairly steady recently.

Numerology of Ben

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Ben yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

3Destiny numberThe creativeExpressive, sociable, lifted by playful energy.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
5Soul urgeThe free spiritCurious, restless, energised by change.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
7PersonalityThe seekerIntrospective, analytical, drawn to the unknown.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

3,021

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

124

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In Star Wars: Ben Solo / Kenobi — two Bens, one galaxy
In Friends: Ben Geller — Ross's son
In Parks and Recreation: Ben Wyatt — state auditor, Leslie's husband

Famous people named Ben

Ben Affleckpoker player · b. 1972
Ben Jonsonbretteur · b. 1572
Ben Kingsleyfilm actor · b. 1943
Ben Roy Mottelsonnuclear physicist · b. 1926
Ben Fosterassociation football player · b. 1983

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near Ben in 2024

Other boys' names starting with B

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1991	46	#437
1992	61	#384
1993	59	#387
1994	27	#587
1995	50	#429
1996	54	#403
1997	69	#353
1998	58	#384
1999	73	#326
2000	77	#307
2001	92	#260
2002	92	#258
2003	106	#247
2004	111	#242
2005	101	#277
2006	106	#272
2007	109	#277
2008	107	#287
2009	109	#288
2010	119	#264
2011	107	#291
2012	112	#291
2013	114	#290
2014	114	#301
2015	107	#312
2016	101	#330
2017	124	#287
2018	95	#344
2019	77	#398
2020	95	#336
2021	104	#328
2022	81	#376
2023	92	#329
2024	72	#431