Ben Name, Meaning, Origin, History, And Popularity

Illustration: MomJunction Design Team

In This Article

Origin, Meaning, And History of Ben

Ben, usually a shortened version of Benedict, Benjamin, Bennett, and Benson can even stand as a first name on its own as a simple boy’s name. Ben is of Hebrew origin meaning ‘son’. However, being related to Benjamin, it can also mean ‘son of my right hand’ derived from the Hebrew word Binyamin.

As a diminutive of Benjamin or Benedict, Ben can be associated with religious or Biblical significance. Benjamin in the New Testament was one of Jacob’s last two sons in Jewish, Islamic, and Christian traditions. He is also linked to the Tribe of Benjamin which descended from Benjamin and was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In the Quran, Benjamin is depicted as a righteous young child who stood by his father Jacob while his other brothers conspired against Joseph.

The name Benedict, which means ‘blessed,’ also refers to Saint Benedict of Nursia, who was the founder of the Benedictine monastery in Italy and the father of western monasticism, according to which he established the norm for monastic living in Europe.

Evoking feelings of wisdom and righteousness, Ben can be alternatively spelled as Benn, Behn, and Bin.

Ben has been a popular boy’s name in the US since 1900 and has left its imprint in the name of several fictional characters in popular culture. Ben Kenobi, is a fictional character appearing in the film “Star Wars: A New Hope ”. He is originally named Obi-Wan and took the nickname Ben and is a nobleman who served as a general in the Republic Army. Ben Geller is another fictional character appearing in the popular American television sitcom “Friends” and is the son of Ross Geller and Carol Willick. Ben Warren is a firefighter of the Seattle Fire Department in the American medical drama television series “Grey’s Anatomy”. He was initially a surgical resident and changed his profession to a firefighter being married to Miranda Bailey.

Ben

Meaning Son

Gender Boy

Religion Christianity

Origin German, Hebrew

Lucky Number 3

Syllables One

Length 1 word, 3 letters, 1 vowel, 2 consonants

Type Short and easy to pronounce

How To Pronounce Ben?

Pronounced as ben

The way you pronounce a name can make all the difference.

Listen to the sound of the name Ben in German.

Listen to the sound of the name Ben in English.

Famous People With The Name Ben

Ben HardyEnglish actor, known for his role in the series “EastEnders”.
Benjamin “Ben” Edward Meara StillerEmmy, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America awards winner American actor, comedian, and filmmaker
Ben FeldmanAmerican actor, known for his role in the series “Mad Men”.
Benjamin “Ben” Andrew StokesEnglish cricketer and captain of the England Test Team.
Benjamin “Ben” RhodesAmerican writer, political commentator, and former Deputy National Security Advisor during Barac Obama’s tenure.
Ben Roy MottlesonAmerican-Danish nuclear physicist and winner of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the non-spherical geometry of atomic nuclei.

Ben On The Popularity Chart

Although a nickname, Ben as a standalone name is more popular in Ireland, and Scotland and was in its top form in the US in the early 1900s.

Popularity Over Time

There have been dramatic changes in the popularity of the name. The graph by Social Security Administration exhibits the same.

Source: Social Security Administration

Rank Over Time

Ben was a well-ranked name in the 1980s but slowly declined in ranking with its lowest ranking in 2007.

Source: Social Security Administration

Ben On MomJunction Popularity Chart

Know how popular the name Ben is among the MomJunction readers. We used a unique approach to gather relevant insights for creating this popularity chart by observing the interactions and interest around the name on our platform. See what the trend has been among our readers over these past years.

Names With Similar Sound As Ben

The refreshing and cool vibe of Ben may be what you are looking for, but do you still want more options? Check out the suggestions below.

Popular Sibling Names For Ben

If you are looking for some matching sibling names that resonate with Ben, check our suggestions here.

Boy Sibling Names For Ben

Find matching brother names for Ben and create a wonderful team of siblings.

Girl Sibling Names For Ben

Looking for some suitable sister names for Ben? Check out our collection of beautiful and unique names.

Other Popular Names Beginning With B

Looking for more baby names starting with the letter B to resonate with your family’s naming tradition or to rhyme with the sibling names? Find a range of alternative names starting with this letter.

Names With Similar Meaning As Ben

If you are looking for more names that mean the same as Ben, here is the list below.

Popular Songs On The Name Ben

Song	Artist
Ben - Single Version	Michael Jackson
Ben 10 Main Theme (From "Ben 10")	Geek Music
Ben 10 Theme	Niall Stenson

Acrostic Poem On Ben

Dive into the lyrical charm of the name Ben with this acrostic poem. Witness how each letter paints together a story, capturing the name’s individuality, strength, vitality, and sophistication. Inspiring, is it? Why not try a similar poem that describes what you think of your baby’s personality?

Beaming with hope, a ray of sunshine wherever you go.

Energetic and enthusiastic, the expeditions you will embark on are endless.

Nurturing soul, nourished by the nectar of nature.

Ben’s Zodiac Sign And Birth Star As Per Vedic Astrology

Vedic astrology, also called Jyotisha, provides deep insights into a person’s life based on celestial positions at birth. Rashi and nakshatra, which are an integral part of Jyotisha, are believed to influence an individual’s personality and life events. The following sections give you rashi-related information, such as the associated letters, elements, ruling body, quality, and nakshatra for the name Ben. These details help analyze a person’s characteristics, personality, and behavior.

Zodiac Sign (Rashi)

As shown in the following table, each rashi is associated with specific sounds, which are often used as the starting letters of names for newborns in Hindu families. Each rashi is represented by a figure and one of the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether (Space). One ruling celestial body, known as its 'rashi lord' or 'ruler' is assigned to these rashis. These bodies include Venus, Mars, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. Furthermore, the rashis are assigned various qualities or gunas.

Rashi (zodiac sign)	Vrishabha (Taurus)
Starting letters for Vrishabha (Taurus) rashi	B, V, U, W
Representation	Bull
Element	Earth
Ruling body	Venus
Quality	Fixed (sthira)

Birth Star (Nakshatra)

Another important aspect of Vedic Astrology is the nakshatras, the lunar constellations or star clusters that the Moon occupies during a person's birth. There are 27 nakshatras, each with its own unique qualities, attributes, and symbolism. Each rashi contains two-and-one-fourth nakshatras in it. For example, Aries contains Ashwini, Bharani, and Krithika nakshatras.

The below table provides information on the nakshatras’ degrees on the zodiac circle, their lords and related syllables, for babies born in the Vrishabha (Taurus) rashi. These syllables/phonetics are popularly used to choose the baby name. For precise nakshatra calculation based on your baby's birthplace and date, use our Nakshatra Calculator.

Nakshatra	Degrees Of The Nakshatra	Nakshatra Lord (Ruler)	Name Syllables
Krittika (Karthikai, Krithika)	Taurus (0 to 10 degrees)	Sun	Aa, Ae, E, Ee, Ai, A, I, Oo, U
Rohini	Taurus (10 to 23.20 degrees)	Moon	O, Va, Vaa, Vi, Vee, Wa, Wu
Mrigashira (Makayiram, Mrigasira)	Taurus (23.20 to 30 degrees)	Mars	Ve, Vo, Ka, Kaa, Ki, Kee, We, Wo

Infographic: Know The Name Ben‘s Personality As Per Numerology

Get high-quality PDF version by clicking below.

Download Infographic

Ben In Different Languages

It’s exciting to see our baby’s name spelled and written in various languages. See how people spell Ben in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and more! Each language has its own way of saying Ben, but it’s still the same special name. Learn how the name looks and sounds in different languages around the world!

Name	Language	Code
Ben	English	en
本	Chinese	zh-CN
बेन	Hindi	hi
Ben	Spanish	es
Ben	French	fr
بن	Arabic	ar
বেন	Bengali	bn
Ben	Portuguese	pt
Бен	Russian	ru
بین	Urdu	ur
Ben	Indonesian	id
Ben	German	de
ベン	Japanese	ja
बेन	Marathi	mr
బెన్	Telugu	te
Ben	Turkish	tr
பென்	Tamil	ta
Ben	Vietnamese	vi
Ben	Tagalog	tl
벤	Korean	ko
Ben	Hausa	ha
Ben	Swahili	sw
Ben	Javanese	jv
Ben	Italian	it
ਬੈਨ	Punjabi	pa
બેન	Gujarati	gu
เบน	Thai	th
ಬೆನ್	Kannada	kn
ቤን	Amharic	am
बेन	Bhojpuri	bho
Ben	Yoruba	yo

How To Communicate The Name Ben In Sign Languages

In Nautical Flags

ben

In Sign Language

ben

In Braille Alphabet

ben

In Morse Code

ben

Name Numerology For Ben

Numerology is an occult system that gives significance to numbers and their influence on human life and destiny. Numerologists attribute specific qualities, energies, and characteristics to a number. Parents who believe in numerology prefer to choose baby names that resonate positively with the child’s unique numerical vibrations, often derived from their date of birth. Here we give a general birth number and personality traits of the name Ben, based on the Pythagorean (Western) system. This analysis will differ from child to child based on their date of birth. You may use our numerology calculator for more personalized information.

Baby Name Lists Containing Ben

Read through our baby name lists that include the name Ben and several other similar names. The wider the choice, the better your selection. Isn't it?

Movie Titles Inspired By The Name Ben

Discover the presence of Ben in an array of films. Know about the various movies that have this name.

Movie title	Other titles	Release year
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell	Bên trong vo kén vàng, L'arbre aux papillons d'or, W żółtym kokonie	2023
Day Off	Ben ri gong xiu, Day Off (2023), 本日公休	2023
Bad Ben 12: Alien Agenda		2023
Ben & Jody	Ben i Jody, Ben y Jody, Filosofi Kopi 3, ベン＆ジョディ, 阿班與裘迪：小農捍衛戰	2022
Civil: Ben Crump	Adalet İnsanı: Ben Crump, Ben Crump pelos Direitos Civis, Ben Crump, Anwalt für Bürgerrechte, Ben Crump: El abogado de los afroamericanos, Ben Crump: lotta per i diritti civili, Ben Crump: Po stronie obywateli, Civil, Civil －弁護士ベン・クランプ－, Civil: Ben Crump au service de la justice, Siviladvokaten Ben Crump, حرّيات مدنية: بن كرمب, 민권을 변호하다: 벤 크럼프, 克倫普：為民請命, 班·克倫普：以民為本	2022
Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes		2022
Bad Ben 10: Eulogy		2022
Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres		2022

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the meaning of the name Ben?

The name Ben means ‘son.’

2. What is the origin of the name Ben?

Ben has a Hebrew origin.

3. How to pronounce the name Ben?

Ben is pronounced as ben.

4. What are some baby names that have a similar sound or feel to Ben?

There are several masculine names that sound similar to Ben. The names Ken and Len are monosyllabic and sound similar to Ben.

5. Are there any famous landmarks or places associated with the name Ben?

The famous Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Clock near the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles and is frequented by hikers and mountaineers. Ben Gurion Airport is an international airport located near Tel Aviv, in Israel.

6. What are some historical or cultural references related to the name Ben?

The name Ben is seen as a diminutive of the Biblical name Benjamin. It is also considered short for the name Benedict, popularized by Saint Benedict of Nursia.

Look Up For Many More Names

Do you have a name in mind and want to know more about it? Or want to find names belonging to a particular origin, religion, or having a specific meaning? Use our search tool below to explore more baby names with different combinations.