Benjamin is a common given name for males, derived from Hebrew , Binyāmīn, translating as 'son of the right [hand]' in both Hebrew and Arabic languages, although in the Samaritan Pentateuch the name appears as Binyamem: 'son of my days'.The Bible – Genesis 46:19-21
Benjamin is often shortened to Ben, and sometimes to Benny, Benito, Benjy, Benji, etc. It is also a patronymic surname. Like many biblical names, it is popular in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths alike, having many variant forms in other languages.
The "Benjamin of the family" is a phrase used in several languages to refer to the youngest son – especially when he is much younger than his brothers (see also the "youngest son" stock character in fiction). Sometimes the name is chosen for a son born to mature parents unlikely to have more children, especially if he has several older siblings. Both of these usages derive from the biblical son of Jacob of that name, who occupied that position in his family.
In some language with Sanskrit root, such as Thai language, Benja or Benjama is also derivative of pañca which means 'five' or 'the fifth'. And can be merged with Indra to form the name homophone name Benjamin (which means 'the fifth Indra', sometimes written Benchamin). There are also many similar name start with Banja- or Benjama- with other combination such as Benjawan (used by some actresses and models in Thailand) or Benjamat (female name, also means the flower Chrysanthemum).
Alternate versions of the name exist for females, like Benjamina.
Variants Arabic: بنيامين (Binyāmīn) Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܒܸܢܝܵܡܹܝܢ (Binyāmēn) Bengali: বিনয়ামিন, বিন ইয়ামিন, বনিয়ামিন, বেঞ্জামিন, বেনজামিন (Binyamin, , Boniamin, Beñjamin, Benjamin) Bosnian: Benjamin Chinese: 本杰明 (Běnjiémíng) / 本雅明 (Běnyǎmíng) Croatian: Benjamin Czech: Benjamín Dutch: Benjamin English: Benjamin Ethiopia: Biniyam Eritrea: Biniyam French: Benjamin Galician: Benxamín German: Benjamin Greek: Βενιαμίν (Veniamín) Hawaiian: Peni Hebrew: בנימין () Hindi: बिन्यामीन (), बिन्यामिन (), बेंजमिन (), बेंजामिन () Hungarian: Benjámin Icelandic: Benjamín Indonesian: Benyamin, Benjamin Italian: Beniamino Latin: Benjamin Japanese: ベンジャミン (Benjamin) Korean: 벤자민 (Benjamin) Lithuanian: Benjaminas, Benas Macedonian: Бенџамин (Bendžamin), Венјамин (Venyamin) Marathi: बिन्यामीन (), बिन्यामिन (), बेंजमिन (), बेंजामिन () Norwegian: Benjamin Persian: بنیامین (Binyāmīn) Polish: Beniamin Portuguese: Benjamim Romanian: Beniamin, Benjamin Russian: Вениамин (Veniamin, Venyamin), Веня (Venya) Serbian: Бењамин (Benjamin) Slovak: Benjamín Slovenian: Benjamin, Beno Spanish: Benjamín Swedish: Benjamin Telugu: బెన్యామీను () Turkish: Bünyamin, Benyamin Urdu: بنیامین (Binyāmīn) Yiddish: Binyomin
Given name
Notable people with the name Benjamin or its variant spellings include:
Benjamin II (1818–1864), the pen name of a Romanian traveller Pope Benjamin II of Alexandria (1327–1339), Coptic Pope Benjamin (Khazar), ruler of the late 9th and early 10th centuries Saint Benjamin (disambiguation), multiple people Benjamin Adler (1903–1990), American electrical engineer and inventor Ben Affleck (born 1972), American film screenwriter, director and actor Benjamin Agosto (born 1982), American figure skater Benjamin Alarie (born 1977), Canadian legal scholar, law professor, and entrepreneur Benjamin Balleret (born 1983), Monegasque tennis player Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806), American author and surveyor Ben Barnes (actor) (born 1981), British actor Benjamin Biolay (born 1973), French singer, songwriter, producer and actor Benjamin Bowden (1906–1998), British industrial designer Benjamin F. Bowles (1869–1928), African American civil rights leader, and founder and president of Douglass University
Benjamin Brahmer (born 2004), American football player Benjamin Breedlove (1993–2011), American YouTube and internet personality Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), British composer Benjamin Buit (born 2008), Dutch YouTuber Benjamin Burnley (born 1978), lead singer of American rock band Breaking Benjamin Benjamin Butler (1818–1893), American lawyer, politician, soldier and businessman Benjamin Cardozo (1870–1938), U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Carrigan (born 1998), Australian association football player Benjamin F. Cheatham (1820–1886), Confederate general and California gold miner Benjamin Chee Chee (1944–1977), Canadian artist Benjamin Constant (1767–1830), Swiss-born French politician Benjamin Constant (military) (1836–1891), Brazilian general and politician Benjamin Cutting (born 1987), Australian cricketer Benjamin Dahlström (born 2003), Finnish footballer Benjamin Daviet (born 1989), French male cross-country skier and biathlete Benjamin Diskin (born 1982), American voice actor Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Benjamin Faunce (1873–1949), American druggist and businessman Ben Folds (born 1966), American musician and songwriter Benjamin W. Fortson IV, American linguist Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States Benjamin Frick (1796–1871), American politician from Pennsylvania Benjamin Graham (1894–1976), British-born American investor, economist, and professor
Benjamin W. Gung (born 1953), Chinese American organic chemist and academic Benjamin Hall (disambiguation), multiple people, including
Benjamin Hance (born 2000), Australian Paralympic swimmer Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation), multiple people, but most notably: Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901), 23rd president of the United States Benjamin Harrison V (1726–1791), a Founding Father of the United States, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Governor of Virginia Benjamin Hick (1790–1842) English engineer and inventor Ben Hogan (1912–1997), American professional golfer
Ben Jonson (1572–1637), English playwright and poet, in his time second only to Shakespeare Benjamin Kallos (born 1981), American lawyer and politician Benjamin Kapp (born 2002), German curler Benjamin Kheng (born 1990), Singaporean singer Benjamin Kimutai (born 1971), Kenyan long-distance runner Benjamin Kowalewicz (born 1975), lead singer of Canadian rock band Billy Talent Benjamin H. Kline (1894–1974), American cinematographer and film director Benjamin Källman (born 1998), Finnish footballer Benjamin Lambert (1937–2014), American optometrist and politician Benjamin Lay (1682–1759), Anglo-American abolitionist, activist, and humanitarian Ben Lee (disambiguation), multiple people, including: Ben Lee (born 1978), Australian musician and songwriter Benjamin F. Lee (born 1841–1926), American bishop and educator Benjamin Lefebvre, American politician Benjamin Leiner (Benny Leonard; the "Ghetto Wizard"; 1896–1947), American world champion lightweight Hall of Fame boxer Benjamin Leuenberger (born 1982), Swiss businessman and former racing driver Benjamin Lock (born 1993), Zimbabwean tennis player Benjamin Luxon (1937–2024), British baritone singer Benjamin Lynch (born 2002), Irish-Canadian freestyle skier Benjamin Mazar (1906–1995), Israeli historian and archeologist; president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Benjamin McKenzie (born 1978), American actor Benjamin Millepied (born 1977), French dancer and choreographer Benjamin K. Miller (judge) (1936–2024), American judge Benjamin Mielke (born 1981), German bobsledder
Benjamin Miskowitsch (born 1984), German politician Benjamin Mkapa (1938–2020), 3rd president of Tanzania Benjamin Mwangata (born 1966), Tanzanian boxer Benjamin Netanyahu (born 1949), Israeli prime minister Benjamin Nolot, American documentary filmmaker Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz (born 1956), Puerto Rican-born interior designer Benjamin of Tudela, 12th-century Spanish rabbi Benjamin Okolski, American figure skater Benjamin Orr (1947–2000), American bass guitarist and singer-songwriter of The Cars Benjamin Østvold (born 2001), Norwegian ski jumper Benjamin Palm (born 2001), Ghanaian tennis player Benjamin Pavard (born 1996), French professional footballer Benjamin Peltonen, Finnish recording artist, known mononymously as Benjamin Benjamin Franklin Perera, Sri Lankan Sinhala diplomat Benjamin Perrin, Canadian professor Benjamin Pritchard (rower), British para-rower Benjamin Raschke (born 1982), German politician Benjamin Reemst (born 2000), Dutch footballer Benjamin Wood Richards (1797–1851), 59th mayor of Philadelphia Benjamin Rush (1746–1813), American politician, revolutionary, humanitarian, physician, educator, and founder of Dickinson College Don Benjamin Rupasinghe Gunawardena (1904–1971), Sri Lankan politician Benjamin Shapiro (born 1984), American conservative political commentator Benjamin Frank Shelton (1902–1963) American singer Benjamin Šeško (born 2003), Slovenian professional footballer Ben Simm (disambiguation), multiple people, Benjamin, including Sim, Sims, Simms Benjamin Smoke (1960–1999), American musician Benjamin Spock (1903–1998), American pediatrician, political activist, and writer Benjamin St-Juste (born 1997), Canadian-American football player Benyamin Sueb (1939–1995), Indonesian actor Ben Stiller (born 1965), American actor Benjamin Tatar (born 1994), Bosnia and Herzegovina footballer Benjamin Tee, Singaporean scientist and inventor Benj Thall (born 1978), American director, film editor, and former child actor Benjamin Timbrell (1754), English master builder and architect Benjamin (Benji) Ungar (born 1986), American fencer Benjamin Verbič (born 1993), Slovenian professional footballer Benjamin de Vries (born 1923), Dutch-Israeli economic historian Benjamin Wade (1800–1878), American lawyer and US senator Benjamin Wallace (circus owner) (1847–1921), American circus owner Benjamin Wallace (writer), American author and magazine writer Benjamin Washburne (born 2001), American pararower Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1941), American linguist, known for contributing to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Ben Whitehead also known as Benjamin Whitehead, English actor and voice actor Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner (born 1984), American 2008 Gold Medal Olympic swimmer and former world record holder Benjamin Willoughby (1855–1940), Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court Benjamin Yuen (born 1981), Hong Kong actor and singer Benjamin Yusupov (born 1962), Israeli classical composer, conductor and pianist Benjamin Zablocki (1941–2020), American sociologist Benjamin Zendel, Canadian psychologist Benjamin E. Zeller, American academic Benjamin Zephaniah (1958–2023), British poet and writer Benjamin Zhang Bin (born 1974), Chinese Manhua artist and illustrator Biniam Girmay (born 2000), Eritrean professional road cyclist Biniam Mehary (born 2006), Ethiopian middle and long-distance runner
Fictional characters Benjamin, a donkey from George Orwell's novel Animal Farm Benjamin the Elephant (original German name Benjamin Blümchen), the main character of the same named television series Benjamin Bunny, Peter Rabbit's cousin in The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter Benjamin Button, the title character of both short story and film Benjamin C. L., known as Soldier Boy, from the third season of Amazon Prime Video's The Boys Benjamin Franklin Parker, known as Uncle Ben, from Marvel Comics's Spider-Man Principal Benjamin Krupp, the school principal and title character from Captain Underpants Benjamin (Ben) Linus, a recurring antagonist in Lost Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, the main character from the M*A*S*H novels, the film and the television series Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm, also known as the Thing, from Marvel Comics Benjamin Sisko, Commanding Officer of Deep Space Nine in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine television series Benjamin Kirby Tennyson (better known as Ben or Ben 10) from Cartoon Network's Ben 10 franchise