Ben
Literal root meaning: “son of the right/south or son of days”
About the name Ben
Ben is a boy name with Biblical Hebrew roots, literally “son of the right/south or son of days”. It is related to Benjamin, which is where the meaning comes from.
It has a classic, short & sweet feel. In 2025, Ben ranked #843 for boys in the US, with 292 babies given the name. Its peak year since 1940 was 1962. Since 2000, 100% of US babies named Ben were boys.
Etymology
A shortening of Benjamin, which comes from Biblical Hebrew, meaning literally “son of the right/south or son of days”.
Name meaning adapted from Wiktionary (“Ben”, “Benjamin”) by Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- US rank 2025
- #843
- In 2015
- #736
- Babies in 2025
- 292
Popularity of Ben, 1940–2025
Latest SSA data: 2025.
Popularity data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby names (public domain; names given to at least 5 babies of one sex per year).
Nicknames for Ben
Ben is already short and sweet, so it doesn't usually get a nickname.
Names similar to Ben
Name meanings marked or linked “Wiktionary” are adapted from Wiktionary by Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; each name page links its source entry.