Ben - name meaning, origin

The boy's name Ben \

is pronounced ben. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "son". Short form of Benjamin, or less commonly of Benedict or Bennett. Now used as an independent given name, being especially popular in Ireland. Many Hebrew names combine Ben with another name, for example Ben-Baruch, meaning "son of the blessed". Bennie and Benny are pet forms; Benn is an English surname. Playwright Ben Jonson; actors Ben Gazzara, Ben Stiller, Ben Vereen, Ben Affleck; musician Benny Goodman.

Ben has 6 variant forms: Benji, Benjy, Benn, Benne, Bennie and Benny.

For more information, see also the related name Bentley.

Baby names that sound like Ben are Ban and Pen.

Ben is a very common first name for men (#212 out of 1220) and also a very common last name for both men and women (#10260 out of 88799). (1990 U.S. Census)

Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the boy name Ben. Compare Ben with its variant forms and related boy names.

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