How Many People Are Named Benjamin?
An estimated 720,290 people in the United States have the first name Benjamin, ranking it #49 among all first names. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 31 years old, and Benjamin peaked in popularity in 1989 with 15,788 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Ronald (714,772).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Benjamin as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Benjamin paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Benjamin is overwhelmingly male, 2,474 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
720,290
About 1 in 476 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.7% confidence
Average Age
31
years old
Peak Year
1989
15,788 births
Total Registered
819,436
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Benjamin
Benjamin is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 819,436 total births registered, 99.7% were male.
Benjamin as a male name
Ranked #11 in 2024
9,814 male births in 2024
Peak: 1989 (15,733 births)
Benjamin as a female name
Ranked #13,689 in 2024
6 female births in 2024
Peak: 1983 (96 births)
Benjamin: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Benjamin span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1980s, when 142,183 babies were registered. While Benjamin is less common than at its peak in the 1980s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Benjamin by Decade
How has Benjamin tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,407 | 5,407 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 4,460 | 4,460 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 4,009 | 4,009 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 17,342 | 17,310 | 32 | |
| 1920s | 21,122 | 21,028 | 94 | |
| 1930s | 14,684 | 14,613 | 71 | |
| 1940s | 17,251 | 17,183 | 68 | |
| 1950s | 23,929 | 23,834 | 95 | |
| 1960s | 25,754 | 25,610 | 144 | |
| 1970s | 81,787 | 81,337 | 450 | |
| 1980s | 142,183 | 141,385 | 798 | |
| 1990s | 134,205 | 133,937 | 268 | |
| 2000s | 137,536 | 137,299 | 237 | |
| 2010s | 134,648 | 134,477 | 171 | |
| 2020s | 55,119 | 55,073 | 46 | |
Benjamin by State
Birth registrations for Benjamin span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, New York, Texas. The lowest are in Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska. On average, about 15,737 Benjamins were registered per state.
Benjamin + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Benjamin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Benjamin
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
Benjamin: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benjamin?
We estimate approximately 720,290 people named Benjamin are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 476 Americans share this first name.
Is Benjamin a common name?
Benjamin is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 819,436 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Benjamin most popular?
Benjamin reached peak popularity in 1989, when 15,788 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Benjamin is approximately 31 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Benjamin a male name?
Benjamin is predominantly male. 99.7% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Benjamin Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Benjamin Smith, Benjamin Johnson, Benjamin Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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