Ben

Last seen for girls in 1982 at #8,224 · #843 for boys in 2025, 292 births
Given to boys 99.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1889 · 453 births
Debut · boys
305 births
In top 100 · boys
32 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
85,349
since 1880

Ben over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201904peak #43, 1889boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#843292
2024#800314
2023#797311
2022#765330
2021#765327
2020#768313
2019#720339
2018#691351
2017#732327
2016#698354
2015#736331
2014#717336
2013#746310
2012#743311
2011#687344
2010#692337
2009#644389
2008#613405
2007#611409
2006#551455
2005#541447
2004#525454
2003#528440
2002#542408
2001#546394
2000#559376
1999#532391
1998#559353
1997#534372
1996#578315
1995#569322
1994#613292
1993#556333
1992#535358
1991#540352
1990#515367
1989#450437
1988#435430
1987#424426
1986#411431
1985#411428
1984#386444
1983#386431
1982#8,2247#387436
1981#8,1287#344522
1980#10,3925#349518
1979#7,3138#333549
1978#9,7505#311572
1977#307626
1976#303590
1975#9,0675#307603
1974#325541
1973#8,4235#324535
1972#7,2926#309591
1971#322578
1970#316620
1969#320578
1968#299630
1967#317553
1966#282683
1965#6,5395#276727
1964#6,7675#260870
1963#249945
1962#5,2937#2381,044
1961#4,8828#257934
1960#5,6966#257954
1959#4,3009#261933
1958#261878
1957#258855
1956#268739
1955#253735
1954#5,1486#256753
1953#251746
1952#5,5635#255718
1951#4,8336#255687
1950#5,3015#250721
1949#3,6129#234761
1948#214874
1947#215887
1946#210819
1945#4,5565#201717
1944#199753
1943#4,6915#192835
1942#186852
1941#4,4205#190767
1940#178814
1939#3,1458#189709
1938#4,3425#172846
1937#4,2555#175814
1936#3,7016#169815
1935#2,30513#161891
1934#2,9239#169831
1933#2,40412#163868
1932#156965
1931#3,4977#163912
1930#3,3458#154987
1929#2,30114#159957
1928#2,28415#156987
1927#2,25616#1561,011
1926#2,47414#1551,013
1925#2,19117#1531,041
1924#2,51414#1411,170
1923#2,73212#1481,049
1922#3,3799#1391,120
1921#3,4009#1391,124
1920#2,26316#1371,138
1919#2,38414#1261,215
1918#2,10217#1281,276
1917#1,77320#1291,128
1916#2,13315#1191,191
1915#3,1348#1131,263
1914#2,26510#1101,005
1913#2,8276#108809
1912#2,3607#102731
1911#1,9567#86467
1910#79454
1909#84358
1908#78353
1907#82314
1906#82285
1905#84290
1904#1,6596#83282
1903#81259
1902#79273
1901#73259
1900#73355
1899#73259
1898#69310
1897#1,2637#65291
1896#69299
1895#63324
1894#62326
1893#62321
1892#60361
1891#61302
1890#54363
1889#1,0257#43453
1888#47463
1887#58305
1886#56335
1885#62292
1884#52367
1883#56306
1882#55334
1881#56289
1880#58305
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Ben was already there! It came in at #58, and was given to 305 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1890–1909, when fewer than 370 boys a year got the name.

See more about Ben
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 43 spots since 2024 (#800#843)
  • 75 spots since 2020 (#768#843)
  • 107 spots since 2015 (#736#843)
  • Biggest jump: 44 spots in 1995 (#613#569)
  • Biggest drop: 65 spots in 1990 (#450#515)
Rise & fade · boys
9 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1889 at #43 (453 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 32 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 32 yrs · run 1880–1911
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 244
  • Highest: 1 in 244 boys born in 1889 were named Ben (0.41%)
  • Latest: 1 in 5,850 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 12.4% of all boys named Ben (10,610) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s3,449#43 (1889)#54
1890s3,156#54 (1890)#64
1900s3,028#73 (1900)#80
1910s9,539#79 (1910)#110
1920s10,610#137 (1920)#148
1930s8,638#154 (1930)#167
1940s8,079#178 (1940)#202
1950s7,765#250 (1950)#257
1960s7,918#238 (1962)#276
1970s5,805#303 (1976)#316
1980s4,503#344 (1981)#398
1990s3,455#515 (1990)#553
2000s4,177#525 (2004)#566
2010s3,340#687 (2011)#716
2020s1,887#765 (2022)#790

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Ben in 1904

girls
#1,659
6 births · 1 in 45,894 girls
boys
#83
282 births · 1 in 454 boys

Top girls' names in 1904

  1. #1Mary14,961
  2. #2Helen6,488
  3. #3Anna5,330
  4. #4Margaret5,302
  5. #5Ruth4,900
  6. #6Elizabeth3,833
  7. #7Marie3,595
  8. #8Florence3,572
  9. #9Mildred3,525
  10. #10Dorothy3,477
  11. #1,659Ben6

Top boys' names in 1904

  1. #1John8,108
  2. #2William6,416
  3. #3James5,855
  4. #4George4,219
  5. #5Robert3,414
  6. #6Charles3,406
  7. #7Joseph3,291
  8. #8Frank2,799
  9. #9Edward2,335
  10. #10Henry2,085
  11. #83Ben282
More about 1904

girls

275,362 girls got a published name in 1904; 1 in 45,894 of them was named Ben, which outranked 23.4% of the 2,165 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ben
  1. #1,486Wilna7
  2. #1,486Zera7
  3. #1,486Zilpha7
  4. #1,659Ben6
  5. #1,659Afton6
  6. #1,659Aili6
  7. #1,659Aleene6
  8. #1,877Adabelle5
  9. #1,877Adda5
  10. #1,877Adelaida5

Tied with 217 names at #1,659; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1903
Risers
  1. 882Electa#1,592#710
  2. 882Edris#1,792#910
  3. 827Lannie#1,792#965
  4. 827Madalyn#1,792#965
  5. 800Amber#1,440#640
Fallers
  1. 1,041Genie#836#1,877
  2. 981Doshie#896#1,877
  3. 981Matilde#896#1,877
  4. 908Aida#969#1,877
  5. 908Silvia#969#1,877

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

128,122 boys got a published name in 1904; 1 in 454 of them was named Ben, which outranked 94.1% of the 1,395 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ben
  1. #80Edgar299
  2. #81Will287
  3. #82Luther286
  4. #83Ben282
  5. #84Johnnie267
  6. #85Jim266
  7. #85Philip266
Biggest movers since 1903
Risers
  1. 615Adelbert#1,130#515
  2. 592Hunter#1,130#538
  3. 564Mac#1,130#566
  4. 564Manley#1,130#566
  5. 483Hezekiah#1,130#647
Fallers
  1. 629Bessie#576#1,205
  2. 629Reynold#576#1,205
  3. 610Nat#595#1,205
  4. 586Minnie#619#1,205
  5. 586Ludwig#619#1,205

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1904