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
- Peak · boys
- 1889 · 453 births
- Debut · boys
- 305 births
- In top 100 · boys
- 32 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 85,349since 1880
Ben over time
Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | — | #843 | 292 | |
| 2024 | — | #800 | 314 | |
| 2023 | — | #797 | 311 | |
| 2022 | — | #765 | 330 | |
| 2021 | — | #765 | 327 | |
| 2020 | — | #768 | 313 | |
| 2019 | — | #720 | 339 | |
| 2018 | — | #691 | 351 | |
| 2017 | — | #732 | 327 | |
| 2016 | — | #698 | 354 | |
| 2015 | — | #736 | 331 | |
| 2014 | — | #717 | 336 | |
| 2013 | — | #746 | 310 | |
| 2012 | — | #743 | 311 | |
| 2011 | — | #687 | 344 | |
| 2010 | — | #692 | 337 | |
| 2009 | — | #644 | 389 | |
| 2008 | — | #613 | 405 | |
| 2007 | — | #611 | 409 | |
| 2006 | — | #551 | 455 | |
| 2005 | — | #541 | 447 | |
| 2004 | — | #525 | 454 | |
| 2003 | — | #528 | 440 | |
| 2002 | — | #542 | 408 | |
| 2001 | — | #546 | 394 | |
| 2000 | — | #559 | 376 | |
| 1999 | — | #532 | 391 | |
| 1998 | — | #559 | 353 | |
| 1997 | — | #534 | 372 | |
| 1996 | — | #578 | 315 | |
| 1995 | — | #569 | 322 | |
| 1994 | — | #613 | 292 | |
| 1993 | — | #556 | 333 | |
| 1992 | — | #535 | 358 | |
| 1991 | — | #540 | 352 | |
| 1990 | — | #515 | 367 | |
| 1989 | — | #450 | 437 | |
| 1988 | — | #435 | 430 | |
| 1987 | — | #424 | 426 | |
| 1986 | — | #411 | 431 | |
| 1985 | — | #411 | 428 | |
| 1984 | — | #386 | 444 | |
| 1983 | — | #386 | 431 | |
| 1982 | #8,224 | 7 | #387 | 436 |
| 1981 | #8,128 | 7 | #344 | 522 |
| 1980 | #10,392 | 5 | #349 | 518 |
| 1979 | #7,313 | 8 | #333 | 549 |
| 1978 | #9,750 | 5 | #311 | 572 |
| 1977 | — | #307 | 626 | |
| 1976 | — | #303 | 590 | |
| 1975 | #9,067 | 5 | #307 | 603 |
| 1974 | — | #325 | 541 | |
| 1973 | #8,423 | 5 | #324 | 535 |
| 1972 | #7,292 | 6 | #309 | 591 |
| 1971 | — | #322 | 578 | |
| 1970 | — | #316 | 620 | |
| 1969 | — | #320 | 578 | |
| 1968 | — | #299 | 630 | |
| 1967 | — | #317 | 553 | |
| 1966 | — | #282 | 683 | |
| 1965 | #6,539 | 5 | #276 | 727 |
| 1964 | #6,767 | 5 | #260 | 870 |
| 1963 | — | #249 | 945 | |
| 1962 | #5,293 | 7 | #238 | 1,044 |
| 1961 | #4,882 | 8 | #257 | 934 |
| 1960 | #5,696 | 6 | #257 | 954 |
| 1959 | #4,300 | 9 | #261 | 933 |
| 1958 | — | #261 | 878 | |
| 1957 | — | #258 | 855 | |
| 1956 | — | #268 | 739 | |
| 1955 | — | #253 | 735 | |
| 1954 | #5,148 | 6 | #256 | 753 |
| 1953 | — | #251 | 746 | |
| 1952 | #5,563 | 5 | #255 | 718 |
| 1951 | #4,833 | 6 | #255 | 687 |
| 1950 | #5,301 | 5 | #250 | 721 |
| 1949 | #3,612 | 9 | #234 | 761 |
| 1948 | — | #214 | 874 | |
| 1947 | — | #215 | 887 | |
| 1946 | — | #210 | 819 | |
| 1945 | #4,556 | 5 | #201 | 717 |
| 1944 | — | #199 | 753 | |
| 1943 | #4,691 | 5 | #192 | 835 |
| 1942 | — | #186 | 852 | |
| 1941 | #4,420 | 5 | #190 | 767 |
| 1940 | — | #178 | 814 | |
| 1939 | #3,145 | 8 | #189 | 709 |
| 1938 | #4,342 | 5 | #172 | 846 |
| 1937 | #4,255 | 5 | #175 | 814 |
| 1936 | #3,701 | 6 | #169 | 815 |
| 1935 | #2,305 | 13 | #161 | 891 |
| 1934 | #2,923 | 9 | #169 | 831 |
| 1933 | #2,404 | 12 | #163 | 868 |
| 1932 | — | #156 | 965 | |
| 1931 | #3,497 | 7 | #163 | 912 |
| 1930 | #3,345 | 8 | #154 | 987 |
| 1929 | #2,301 | 14 | #159 | 957 |
| 1928 | #2,284 | 15 | #156 | 987 |
| 1927 | #2,256 | 16 | #156 | 1,011 |
| 1926 | #2,474 | 14 | #155 | 1,013 |
| 1925 | #2,191 | 17 | #153 | 1,041 |
| 1924 | #2,514 | 14 | #141 | 1,170 |
| 1923 | #2,732 | 12 | #148 | 1,049 |
| 1922 | #3,379 | 9 | #139 | 1,120 |
| 1921 | #3,400 | 9 | #139 | 1,124 |
| 1920 | #2,263 | 16 | #137 | 1,138 |
| 1919 | #2,384 | 14 | #126 | 1,215 |
| 1918 | #2,102 | 17 | #128 | 1,276 |
| 1917 | #1,773 | 20 | #129 | 1,128 |
| 1916 | #2,133 | 15 | #119 | 1,191 |
| 1915 | #3,134 | 8 | #113 | 1,263 |
| 1914 | #2,265 | 10 | #110 | 1,005 |
| 1913 | #2,827 | 6 | #108 | 809 |
| 1912 | #2,360 | 7 | #102 | 731 |
| 1911 | #1,956 | 7 | #86 | 467 |
| 1910 | — | #79 | 454 | |
| 1909 | — | #84 | 358 | |
| 1908 | — | #78 | 353 | |
| 1907 | — | #82 | 314 | |
| 1906 | — | #82 | 285 | |
| 1905 | — | #84 | 290 | |
| 1904 | #1,659 | 6 | #83 | 282 |
| 1903 | — | #81 | 259 | |
| 1902 | — | #79 | 273 | |
| 1901 | — | #73 | 259 | |
| 1900 | — | #73 | 355 | |
| 1899 | — | #73 | 259 | |
| 1898 | — | #69 | 310 | |
| 1897 | #1,263 | 7 | #65 | 291 |
| 1896 | — | #69 | 299 | |
| 1895 | — | #63 | 324 | |
| 1894 | — | #62 | 326 | |
| 1893 | — | #62 | 321 | |
| 1892 | — | #60 | 361 | |
| 1891 | — | #61 | 302 | |
| 1890 | — | #54 | 363 | |
| 1889 | #1,025 | 7 | #43 | 453 |
| 1888 | — | #47 | 463 | |
| 1887 | — | #58 | 305 | |
| 1886 | — | #56 | 335 | |
| 1885 | — | #62 | 292 | |
| 1884 | — | #52 | 367 | |
| 1883 | — | #56 | 306 | |
| 1882 | — | #55 | 334 | |
| 1881 | — | #56 | 289 | |
| 1880 | — | #58 | 305 | |
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
- 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)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1889 at #43 (453 births)
- Not yet halved from its peak
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 32 yrs · run 1880–1911
- Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
- Highest: 1 in 244 boys born in 1889 were named Ben (0.41%)
- Latest: 1 in 5,850 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
- 12.4% of all boys named Ben (10,610) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,449 | #43 (1889) | #54 |
| 1890s | 3,156 | #54 (1890) | #64 |
| 1900s | 3,028 | #73 (1900) | #80 |
| 1910s | 9,539 | #79 (1910) | #110 |
| 1920s | 10,610 | #137 (1920) | #148 |
| 1930s | 8,638 | #154 (1930) | #167 |
| 1940s | 8,079 | #178 (1940) | #202 |
| 1950s | 7,765 | #250 (1950) | #257 |
| 1960s | 7,918 | #238 (1962) | #276 |
| 1970s | 5,805 | #303 (1976) | #316 |
| 1980s | 4,503 | #344 (1981) | #398 |
| 1990s | 3,455 | #515 (1990) | #553 |
| 2000s | 4,177 | #525 (2004) | #566 |
| 2010s | 3,340 | #687 (2011) | #716 |
| 2020s | 1,887 | #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 1980
Top girls' names in 1980
Top boys' names in 1980
More about 1980
girls
1,660,307 girls got a published name in 1980; 1 in 332,061 of them was named Ben, which outranked 14.5% of the 12,161 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 17.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Tied with 1,769 names at #10,392; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,783,951 boys got a published name in 1980; 1 in 3,444 of them was named Ben, which outranked 95.2% of the 7,293 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.