How popular is the baby name Benhur in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Benhur.

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Popularity of the baby name Benhur


Posts that mention the name Benhur

Which baby names are banned in Portugal?

Wondering which baby names are illegal in Portugal? (Sure you are!) The Portuguese government maintains an 80-page list of baby names–a mix of the permitted and the forbidden. Here are some of the names (and weirdly specific name combinations) Portuguese parents are not allowed to give their babies:

  • Aidan
  • Albuquerque
  • Allan Brett
  • Anouchka
  • Antoinette
  • Argo Demetrius
  • Ashanti
  • Ashley
  • Babilónia
  • Ben-Hur
  • Brunei
  • Bruce
  • Bryan
  • Charlotte
  • Cheyenne
  • Claret
  • Claude
  • Coltrane (jazz musician)
  • Brilhante (Portuguese for “brilliant”)
  • Britta Nórdica
  • Chianda Kady
  • Dmitri, Dmitriy, Dmitro
  • Do Sorriso
  • Douglas
  • Dylan
  • Farley
  • Faruk
  • Fraternidade
  • Giana Lai
  • Heidi
  • Hendrix
  • Imperatriz
  • Ivanhoe (19th-century novel)
  • Jaiantcumar
  • Jenny
  • Jimmy
  • Jivago (form of Zhivago)
  • Kathleen
  • Kennedy
  • Leeyang
  • Loïc
  • Logan
  • Mabel
  • Magnifica
  • Mar e Sol (Portuguese for “sea and sun”)
  • Marx
  • Mary Ann
  • Melbournia
  • Nazareth Fernandes
  • Nirvana
  • Olaf
  • Pablo
  • Piombina (Italian town Piombino)
  • Portugal
  • Rihanna
  • Rosa Luxemburgo
  • Samora Machel
  • Sandokan (fictional pirate Sandokan)
  • Satélite
  • Sayonara (Japanese for “goodbye”)
  • Tamagnini (Italian surname)
  • Trebaruna (Lusitanian deity)
  • Vasconcelos (Portuguese surname)
  • Viking
  • Virtuosa
  • Viterbo (Italian town)
  • Zingara (Italian for “gypsy”)

Some are foreign names/words, some are locations, some refer to pop culture, and so forth.

Many of the no-no names are simply in the wrong form (according to the government). For instance, parents can use…

  • Aarão, but not Aaron
  • Agata, but not Agatha
  • Baltasar, but not Baltazar
  • Daisi, but not Daisy
  • Dulce do Amparo, but not Dulce Amparo
  • Kévim, but not Kevin
  • Hervé, but not Hervê or Herve (reminds me of the Zöé controversy)
  • Maria de Lurdes, but not Maria de Lourdes
  • Martina, but not Martine
  • Mónica, but not Monique
  • Nuno, or Nuno de Santa Maria, or Nuno do Carmo (Carmelite), but not Nuno Álvares.

To see all the names for yourself, download the Lista de Nomes from the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado.

Where did the baby name Haya come from in 1960?

Actress Haya Harareet as Esther in the movie "Ben-Hur" (1959).
Haya Harareet in “Ben-Hur

The novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880) by Lewis “Lew” Wallace told the story of Judah Ben-Hur, a young Jewish prince who sought revenge upon the Romans after a period of enslavement. The book was extremely successful, remaining on the best-seller list for decades.

The best-known film adaptation of the book was Ben Hur (1959), which starred Charlton Heston as Judah and Israeli actress Haya Harareet as his love interest, Esther. The movie cost more money and featured more crew and extras than any other movie that had been made up to that point. In April of 1960, it won a record 11 Oscars.

Also in 1960, the baby name Haya appeared in the U.S. baby name data for the very first time:

  • 1962: unlisted
  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: 5 baby girls named Haya [debut]
  • 1959: unlisted
  • 1958: unlisted

The name Haya is a form of Chaya, which is a feminine form of Chayyim, which means “life.”

A much more recent adaptation of the story was the 2-episode miniseries Ben Hur, which aired on American TV during the 2010 Easter season. It didn’t have the cultural impact of the 1959 film, but it did nudge the usage of baby name Ben Hur upward — just enough for the name to appear for the first and (so far) only time in the data:

  • 2012: unlisted
  • 2011: unlisted
  • 2010: 8 baby boys named Benhur [debut]
  • 2009: unlisted
  • 2008: unlisted

The surname Ben-Hur means “son of white linen.” Lew Wallace said that it was chosen for the lead character “because it [was] Biblical, and easily spelled, printed, and pronounced.”

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of Ben-Hur (1959)