Bennie
Bennie was the 2519th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 53 babies. Its best year was 1903, when it ranked 130th; the most babies were born in 1929 (959). Over the last ten years it has moved down 87 places. More babies were named Bennie in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Benny) pet form of Benjamin · English, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #2,519 boys, down 98 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 53boys
- Girls and boys
- 39% girls, 61% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1929959 babies
- Total since 1880
- 62,689babies recorded
What does the name Bennie mean?
Bennie is a spelling of Benny, pronounced the same way, so it shares Benny's meaning and origin.
Benny is a pet form of Benjamin, and less often of Benedict, Bernard or Bernadette. Benjamin is the youngest son of Jacob in the Bible; DMNES glosses the Hebrew as "son of the right hand", and in Genesis 35:18 his dying mother names him Ben-oni before his father renames him. Benny was most common in the US in the 1930s and 1940s.
בִּנְיָמִין (Biblical Hebrew, “Binyamin, "son of the right hand"”)
How sure is this? Well established. Benjamin is usually read as "son of the right hand" (also "son of the south"); an ancient alternative is "son of days".
Related names: Benjamin, Ben, Bennie, Benji.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Benny', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Benjamin', DMNES (Durham University)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 35:18, JPS Tanakh (Gender-Sensitive Edition) via Sefaria, Sefaria
Bennie popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,782 | #2,519 | 61 | 53 |
| 2020 | #7,279 | #2,421 | 15 | 54 |
| 2010 | — | #2,212 | — | 59 |
| 2000 | — | #1,613 | — | 73 |
| 1990 | — | #857 | — | 142 |
| 1980 | #6,353 | #602 | 10 | 208 |
| 1970 | #2,783 | #434 | 25 | 350 |
| 1960 | #1,489 | #329 | 55 | 550 |
| 1950 | #790 | #238 | 121 | 758 |
| 1940 | #495 | #175 | 195 | 845 |
| 1930 | #470 | #162 | 204 | 916 |
| 1920 | #555 | #161 | 166 | 856 |
| 1910 | #503 | #146 | 65 | 218 |
| 1900 | #524 | #142 | 41 | 153 |
| 1890 | #620 | #224 | 18 | 54 |
| 1880 | #633 | #335 | 8 | 26 |
How popular is Bennie, counting every spelling?
Bennie is a spelling of Benny, a name family that ranked #706 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,519 for Bennie on its own. Together these spellings went to 371 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benny | 293 | #841 | 1,197 |
| Bennie | 53 | #2,519 | 269 |
| Beni | 20 | #4,877 | 65 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Bennie?
53 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bennie (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bennie born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 158 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bennie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bennie?
About 19,500 people born in the US named Bennie are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 51 and 76. That makes Bennie a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bennie by state
How common Bennie was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 45 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bennie: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bennie, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Bennie
What does Bennie mean?
Bennie is a spelling of Benny, which means “pet form of Benjamin” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bennie?
Bennie was the 2519th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 53 babies. Its best year was 1903, when it ranked 130th; the most babies were born in 1929 (959). Over the last ten years it has moved down 87 places. More babies were named Bennie in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Is Bennie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 39% girls, 61% boys given the name Bennie in the US.
Where is Bennie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bennie was most common in Missouri (0.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by Ohio and Texas.