Boys' name · peaked in 1981
Benjamin name popularity since 1925
786,425 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Benjamin. Half of them were born in 1995 or earlier, so the typical Benjamin is about 31 years old in 2026. Benjamin peaked in 1981 as the #32 name for boys, and it ranked #11 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 786,425
- Named Benjamin, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #11
- for boys in 2025 (9,762 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 2,417 girls · 784,008 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 2.05× its national share
Peak year is the year Benjamin made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Benjamin births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1989. Measured as a share of all babies, Benjamin peaked in 1981.
- Fastest rise: Between 1970 and 1975, Benjamin became 2.9× more common, from 1 in 473 baby boys to 1 in 164.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Benjamin's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Benjamin.
Decade by decade
Babies named Benjamin in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 61 | 9,392 | – |
| 1930s | 71 | 14,613 | #123 |
| 1940s | 68 | 17,184 | #140 |
| 1950s | 95 | 23,833 | #132 |
| 1960s | 144 | 25,609 | #133 |
| 1970s | 450 | 81,332 | #36 |
| 1980s | 798 | 141,366 | #31 |
| 1990s | 268 | 133,939 | #31 |
| 2000s | 237 | 137,309 | #25 |
| 2010s | 171 | 134,509 | #10 |
| 2020–25 | 54 | 64,922 | #11 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
28.3% of babies named Benjamin from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Benjamin is most popular
The index compares Benjamin's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Benjamin.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 2.05× | 5,115 |
| Alaska | 1.90× | 2,236 |
| Maine | 1.64× | 5,567 |
| Utah | 1.59× | 10,758 |
| Vermont | 1.59× | 2,104 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Benjamin and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin (this page) | 784,008 | 1981 |
| Benjamen | 3,497 | 1884 |
| Benjaman | 1,410 | 1888 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Benjamin's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Benjamin.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Benjamin (1981).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data