Benjamin Franklin
Founding Father of the United States; inventor and diplomat
Boy Old Testament Rare
Benjamin
son of the right hand
בִּנְיָמִין bin.ya.min
Benjamin (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין, bin.ya.min) means “son of the right hand”, by traditional interpretation. Five men in scripture bear the name; the best attested belongs to the Patriarchal period. In 2025 it was given to 9,770 children in the United States, ranking 11. Use is falling away. Around 829,312 Americans have been given it since 1880. Appears with Abidan in Numbers 1.
Merged person graphTIPNR + BibleData
Which Benjamin?
Five men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Benjamin
son of Jacob; related to Benjamin
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Benjamin
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Benjamin
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Benjamin
descendant of Benjamin; son of Bilhan
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Benjamin
TIPNR + BibleDataSSA · public domain
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
Concordance Depth Index
147.8 · rank 9
US usage today
rank 11 · 9,770 births in 2025
TIPNR + BibleDataSTEPBible · CC BY
At a glance
- Verses
- 170 across 23 books
- Bearers
- 5 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Both
- Era
- Patriarchal
SSA · public domaindatos_gob_aribge_censoine_es_edad_mediaIRN PT
The same name elsewhere
| Country | Form | Standing | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Benjamin | rank 11 · 9,770 in 2025 | Births in year |
| Argentina | BENJAMIN | 500,678 registrations | Births in year |
| Brazil | BENJAMIM | 4,261 bearers · born 1930–2010 | Living residents |
| Spain | BENJAMIN | 15,420 bearers · mean age 49.0 | Living residents |
| Portugal | Benjamim | permitted | IRN approved list |
Two different questions are shown here. Rows marked births in year count children registered during a period; rows marked living residents count people of every age alive at a census. They answer different questions and are never added together.
SSA · public domainBirths in year
Using it today
Roughly 1 child in every 7 classes of 25.
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
Based on 2025 births across the United States.
| Measure | Value | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Given in 2025 | 9,770 | Falling |
| All-time total | 829,312 | Since records begin in 1880 |
| Peak | 15,788 in 1989 | Its highest year on record |
| Strongest state | CA | Highest share relative to births |
Merged person graph170 verse pairs
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Genesis 35:18 |
| Last appears | Revelation 7:8 |
| Cross-references | 2,119 linked passages |
Computed · A2/A3Rationale generated
Names connected to this one
- Levi attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Jacob.
- Issachar attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Jacob.
- Asher attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Jacob.
- Dan attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Jacob.
- Reuben attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Jacob.
- Gad attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Jacob.
- Joseph attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Jacob.
- Baal attested sibling Attested sibling — both named as children of Jacob.
Origin & meaning
Strong's number
H1144H
Hebrew
בִּנְיָמִין
Transliteration
bin.ya.min
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.7.10;
son of: Bilhan (H1092H);
brother of: Jeush (H3266H), Ehud (H0164H), Chenaanah (H3668H), Zethan (H2133), Tarshish (H8659I) and Ahishahar (H0300)
§ Benjamin = "son of the right hand"
1) Jacob's and Rachel's youngest son, Joseph's full brother
2) son of Bilhan, great-grandson of Benjamin
3) a Benjamite, one of the sons of Harim, in the time of Ezra who had taken a strange wife
4) the tribe descended from Benjamin, the son of Jacob
This Benjamin was a son of Bilhan and a descendant of Benjamin.
The biblical story
This Benjamin is mentioned in the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin. He was a son of Bilhan and a descendant of Benjamin, the youngest son of Israel (or 'Jacob') (1 Ch. 7:10). No further information is provided about this individual in the biblical text. His inclusion in the genealogy highlights the importance of family lineage and the preservation of ancestral records among the Israelites.
Key verses
Benjamin appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:
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The sons also of Jediael; Bilhan: and the sons of Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tharshish, and Ahishahar.
1 Chronicles 7:10
Show all 1 reference
1 Chronicles (1)
- 1 Chronicles 7:10
Name variants & nicknames
- Ben — nickname
- Benny — nickname
- Benji — nickname
- Benjamín — Spanish
- Benjamim — Portuguese
- Binyamin — Hebrew form
Notable people with this name
Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Disraeli
British Prime Minister and novelist
Benjamin Britten
English composer and conductor