Meaning not yet researched.
Ben: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 292 in 2025. Its best rank was #43 in 1889.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #43 in 1889; #843 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Ben in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#843 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1889, at #43.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Ben: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 292 boys in 2025. Peak: #43 in 1889 · most boys in one year: 1,276 (1918).
In 2025, 292 US boys were named Ben, making it the 843rd most common boys’ name of the year, down 43 places from #800 in 2024. That is 22 fewer than the 314 boys named Ben in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #43, reached in 1889. The most boys given the name in a single year was 1,276, in 1918. For comparison, it was #736 in 2015 and #250 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Ben in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 305 babies with the name. In all, 85,816 US babies have been given the name, 0.5% of them girls and 99% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 10,746 babies named Ben.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 3,258 US boys were named Ben; the busiest of those years was 2016, with 354. In 2025 that was about 1 in 5,850 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Ben ranked highest in New Jersey in 2025, at #325 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Bennett (74,854 babies since 1880), Benito (14,804 babies since 1880), Benedict (10,475 babies since 1880) and Eben (3,614 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Barak, Benedetto and Binh are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Benji, Bennie and Benny.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Wikidata records this spelling as a given name in Dutch and English. That is where the name is used, not necessarily where it comes from.
Rare spellings summarised here: Barak (929), Benedetto (881), Binh (525), Benoit (386), Benn (382), Barack (312), Benno (306), Benedicto (195), Bento (170), Benz (121), Bion (120), Byan (75), and more.
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 35 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 26 | #325 | #461 |
| Massachusetts | 13 | #384 | #563 |
| New York | 38 | #450 | #422 |
| Utah | 7 | #564 | — |
| Minnesota | 8 | #592 | #797 |
| Florida | 27 | #624 | #805 |
| Indiana | 9 | #670 | #803 |
| California | 34 | #755 | #555 |
| Washington | 7 | #813 | #763 |
| Texas | 29 | #879 | #736 |
| Virginia | 7 | #885 | — |
| Georgia | 8 | #1,001 | #1,105 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | #1,119 | #619 |
| Ohio | 6 | #1,127 | #1,224 |
| North Carolina | 5 | #1,295 | #1,134 |
| Illinois | 5 | #1,309 | #781 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 292 | #843 |
| 2024 | — | — | 314 | #800 |
| 2023 | — | — | 311 | #797 |
| 2022 | — | — | 330 | #765 |
| 2021 | — | — | 327 | #765 |
| 2020 | — | — | 313 | #768 |
| 2019 | — | — | 339 | #720 |
| 2018 | — | — | 351 | #692 |
| 2017 | — | — | 327 | #732 |
| 2016 | — | — | 354 | #698 |
| 2015 | — | — | 331 | #736 |
| 2014 | — | — | 336 | #718 |
| 2013 | — | — | 310 | #746 |
| 2012 | — | — | 311 | #743 |
| 2011 | — | — | 344 | #687 |
| 2010 | — | — | 337 | #692 |
| 2009 | — | — | 389 | #644 |
| 2008 | — | — | 405 | #613 |
| 2007 | — | — | 409 | #611 |
| 2006 | — | — | 455 | #551 |
| 2005 | — | — | 447 | #541 |
| 2004 | — | — | 454 | #526 |
| 2003 | — | — | 440 | #528 |
| 2002 | — | — | 408 | #542 |
| 2001 | — | — | 394 | #546 |
| 2000 | — | — | 376 | #559 |
| 1999 | — | — | 391 | #532 |
| 1998 | — | — | 353 | #559 |
| 1997 | — | — | 372 | #534 |
| 1996 | — | — | 315 | #578 |
| 1995 | — | — | 322 | #569 |
| 1994 | — | — | 292 | #613 |
| 1993 | — | — | 333 | #556 |
| 1992 | — | — | 358 | #535 |
| 1991 | — | — | 352 | #540 |
| 1990 | — | — | 367 | #515 |
| 1989 | — | — | 437 | #450 |
| 1988 | — | — | 430 | #435 |
| 1987 | — | — | 426 | #424 |
| 1986 | — | — | 431 | #411 |
| 1985 | — | — | 428 | #411 |
| 1984 | — | — | 444 | #386 |
| 1983 | — | — | 431 | #386 |
| 1982 | 7 | #8,315 | 436 | #387 |
| 1981 | 7 | #8,205 | 522 | #344 |
| 1980 | 5 | #10,544 | 518 | #349 |
| 1979 | 8 | #7,379 | 549 | #333 |
| 1978 | 5 | #9,903 | 572 | #311 |
| 1977 | — | — | 626 | #307 |
| 1976 | — | — | 590 | #303 |
| 1975 | 5 | #9,201 | 603 | #307 |
| 1974 | — | — | 541 | #325 |
| 1973 | 5 | #8,536 | 535 | #324 |
| 1972 | 6 | #7,350 | 591 | #310 |
| 1971 | — | — | 578 | #322 |
| 1970 | — | — | 620 | #316 |
| 1969 | — | — | 578 | #320 |
| 1968 | — | — | 630 | #299 |
| 1967 | — | — | 553 | #317 |
| 1966 | — | — | 683 | #282 |
| 1965 | 5 | #6,612 | 727 | #276 |
| 1964 | 5 | #6,846 | 870 | #260 |
| 1963 | — | — | 945 | #249 |
| 1962 | 7 | #5,338 | 1,044 | #238 |
| 1961 | 8 | #4,919 | 934 | #257 |
| 1960 | 6 | #5,755 | 954 | #257 |
| 1959 | 9 | #4,321 | 933 | #261 |
| 1958 | — | — | 878 | #261 |
| 1957 | — | — | 855 | #258 |
| 1956 | — | — | 739 | #268 |
| 1955 | — | — | 735 | #253 |
| 1954 | 6 | #5,194 | 753 | #256 |
| 1953 | — | — | 746 | #251 |
| 1952 | 5 | #5,618 | 718 | #255 |
| 1951 | 6 | #4,886 | 687 | #255 |
| 1950 | 5 | #5,359 | 721 | #250 |
| 1949 | 9 | #3,639 | 761 | #234 |
| 1948 | — | — | 874 | #214 |
| 1947 | — | — | 887 | #215 |
| 1946 | — | — | 819 | #210 |
| 1945 | 5 | #4,607 | 717 | #201 |
| 1944 | — | — | 753 | #199 |
| 1943 | 5 | #4,749 | 835 | #192 |
| 1942 | — | — | 852 | #186 |
| 1941 | 5 | #4,467 | 767 | #190 |
| 1940 | — | — | 814 | #178 |
| 1939 | 8 | #3,162 | 709 | #189 |
| 1938 | 5 | #4,398 | 846 | #172 |
| 1937 | 5 | #4,307 | 814 | #175 |
| 1936 | 6 | #3,737 | 815 | #169 |
| 1935 | 13 | #2,315 | 891 | #161 |
| 1934 | 9 | #2,944 | 831 | #169 |
| 1933 | 12 | #2,416 | 868 | #163 |
| 1932 | — | — | 965 | #156 |
| 1931 | 7 | #3,522 | 912 | #163 |
| 1930 | 8 | #3,383 | 987 | #154 |
| 1929 | 14 | #2,319 | 957 | #159 |
| 1928 | 15 | #2,294 | 987 | #156 |
| 1927 | 16 | #2,266 | 1,011 | #156 |
| 1926 | 14 | #2,484 | 1,013 | #155 |
| 1925 | 17 | #2,203 | 1,041 | #153 |
| 1924 | 14 | #2,528 | 1,170 | #141 |
| 1923 | 12 | #2,745 | 1,049 | #148 |
| 1922 | 9 | #3,402 | 1,120 | #139 |
| 1921 | 9 | #3,435 | 1,124 | #139 |
| 1920 | 16 | #2,276 | 1,138 | #137 |
| 1919 | 14 | #2,400 | 1,215 | #126 |
| 1918 | 17 | #2,112 | 1,276 | #128 |
| 1917 | 20 | #1,779 | 1,128 | #129 |
| 1916 | 15 | #2,145 | 1,191 | #119 |
| 1915 | 8 | #3,167 | 1,263 | #113 |
| 1914 | 10 | #2,286 | 1,005 | #110 |
| 1913 | 6 | #2,860 | 809 | #108 |
| 1912 | 7 | #2,394 | 731 | #102 |
| 1911 | 7 | #1,981 | 467 | #86 |
| 1910 | — | — | 454 | #79 |
| 1909 | — | — | 358 | #84 |
| 1908 | — | — | 353 | #78 |
| 1907 | — | — | 314 | #82 |
| 1906 | — | — | 285 | #82 |
| 1905 | — | — | 290 | #84 |
| 1904 | 6 | #1,676 | 282 | #83 |
| 1903 | — | — | 259 | #81 |
| 1902 | — | — | 273 | #79 |
| 1901 | — | — | 259 | #73 |
| 1900 | — | — | 355 | #73 |
| 1899 | — | — | 259 | #73 |
| 1898 | — | — | 310 | #69 |
| 1897 | 7 | #1,272 | 291 | #65 |
| 1896 | — | — | 299 | #69 |
| 1895 | — | — | 324 | #63 |
| 1894 | — | — | 326 | #62 |
| 1893 | — | — | 321 | #62 |
| 1892 | — | — | 361 | #60 |
| 1891 | — | — | 302 | #61 |
| 1890 | — | — | 363 | #54 |
| 1889 | 7 | #1,037 | 453 | #43 |
| 1888 | — | — | 463 | #47 |
| 1887 | — | — | 305 | #58 |
| 1886 | — | — | 335 | #56 |
| 1885 | — | — | 292 | #62 |
| 1884 | — | — | 367 | #52 |
| 1883 | — | — | 306 | #56 |
| 1882 | — | — | 334 | #55 |
| 1881 | — | — | 289 | #56 |
| 1880 | — | — | 305 | #58 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).