Benson
Benson was the 279th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,214 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 193 places. More babies were named Benson in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning son of Ben (Benedict); or from Benson, Oxfordshire · English, Latin, Old English
Say it BEN-sun /ˈbɛnsən/
- Rank in 2025
- #279 boys, up 273 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,214boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,214 babies
- Total since 1880
- 14,344babies recorded
What does the name Benson mean?
Benson is an English surname with two sources. Wiktionary gives it as a patronymic, "son of Ben", Ben being a medieval pet form of Benedict, which DMNES derives from Latin benedictus, "blessed", and records as Bensoñ in 1379. It can also come from Benson in Oxfordshire, from Old English Benesingtūn. It is used as a boy's first name.
benedictus (Latin, “blessed”)Benesingtūn (Old English, “place name, Benson”)
How sure is this? Probable. Two surname origins.
Related names: Ben, Benedict, Bennett.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Benson', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Benedict', DMNES, Durham University
Nicknames for Benson
The usual nicknames for Benson are Ben. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Benson in the last five years, 48 were named Ben, against 394 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben · also for Benedict, Benjamin, Bennett | Modern | #843 | 1,574 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Bensons go by each one.
Benson popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 32 since 2015, 13 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #279 | 1,214 |
| 2020 | #552 | 514 |
| 2010 | #823 | 260 |
| 2000 | #1,564 | 76 |
| 1990 | #1,260 | 77 |
| 1980 | #1,154 | 62 |
| 1970 | #1,180 | 49 |
| 1960 | #1,623 | 25 |
| 1950 | #1,142 | 39 |
| 1940 | #1,403 | 23 |
| 1930 | #1,305 | 30 |
| 1920 | #1,074 | 43 |
| 1910 | #1,612 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Benson, counting every spelling?
Benson is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #287 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #279 for Benson on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,246 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | 1,214 | #279 | 3,304 |
| Bensen | 16 | #5,641 | 109 |
| Bensyn | 16 | #5,642 | 47 |
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 Benson?
1,214 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Benson (0.34 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Benson 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Benson.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Benson?
About 12,700 people born in the US named Benson are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 5 and 20. That makes Benson a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Benson by state
How common Benson was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (5.4×), South Dakota (4.6×), North Dakota (4.1×), Nebraska (3.4×), Idaho (3.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Benson: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Benson, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Benson · Sibling names for Benson
Questions about the name Benson
What does Benson mean?
Benson means “son of Ben (Benedict); or from Benson, Oxfordshire” (English, Latin, Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Benson?
Benson was the 279th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,214 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 193 places. More babies were named Benson in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Benson a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Benson in the US.
Where is Benson most popular?
In 2021–2025, Benson was most common in Utah (2.06 per 1,000 boys), followed by South Dakota and North Dakota.