Ben
Pronounced B EH1 N (ARPABET)
- 1 syllable
- Peaked 1918
- 145 years in use
- Biblical
- 1 spelling
How popular is Ben?
Ben is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 85,908 children — the 341st most common boys' name on record.
Its use has been broadly flat across the past two decades. Its best single year was 1918, when 1,283 children were given it.
Benn is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Ben and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Benn
Nicknames
Ben is itself a short form of Benjamin.
Characteristics
- Biblical (Person)
- 1 syllable
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- B EH1 N
- Stress pattern:
- 1
- Syllables:
- 1
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Ben
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Ben
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Ben?
- Ben ranks 341st among boys' names in US records, with 85,908 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 3,305.
- Is Ben a unisex name?
- No. Ben is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Ben most popular?
- 1918, when 1,283 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Ben spelled?
- Benn. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.