Ben

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Ben

Gender: Masculine
Language: English
Etymology:
Ben is short for the names Benjamin and Benedict (Bennett). In Hebrew, Ben means “Son.”

History:
Ben has been used as a nickname for Benjamin (and occasionally Benedict and Bennett) since the Reformation.
Please see Benjamin for more information.

Pronunciation: ben.

Diminutives:
English: Bennie, Benny.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Ben Jonson (1572-1637)
English dramatist.
Ben Nicholson (1894-1982)
English artist.
Ben Hecht (1894-1964)
American novelist.
Ben Shahn (1898-1969)
American painter.
Ben Webster (1909-1973)
American jazz musician.
Ben Okri (1959-)
Nigerian author.

Miscellaneous:
Ben L. Abruzzo (1930-1985)
American balloonist.

Places:
Big Ben
Tower clock in London.

Scientists:
Ben R. Mottelson (1918-1996)
American-Danish physicist. Co-winner of the 1975 Nobel Prize for Physics.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.078 % named Ben
0.032 % named Bennie
0.030 % named Benny

Popularity of Ben:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1800: 64th most popular.
1850: 49th most popular.
1875: 94th most popular.
1900-1910: 88th most popular.
1910-1920: 116th most popular.
1920-1930: 160th most popular.
1930-1940: 176th most popular.
1940-1950: 223rd most popular.
1950-1960: 264th most popular.
1960-1970: 304th most popular.
1970-1980: 334th most popular.
1980-1990: 437th most popular.
1990: 513th most popular.
1991: 546th most popular.
1992: 535th most popular.
1993: 561st most popular.
1994: 609th most popular.
1995: 565th most popular.
1996: 573rd most popular.
1997: 540th most popular.
1998: 568th most popular.
1999: 542nd most popular.
2000: 599th most popular.
2001: 553rd most popular.
2002: 552nd most popular.
2003: 531st most popular.

In Ireland...
1998: 48th most popular.
1999: 38th most popular.
2000: 30th most popular.
2001: 27th most popular.
2002: 20th most popular.
2003: 18th most popular.