How popular is the baby name Benjamin 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 Benjamin.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Benjamin


Posts that mention the name Benjamin

Popular baby names in British Columbia (Canada), 2020

According to British Columbia’s Ministry of Health, the most popular baby names in the province last year were Olivia and Liam.

Here are British Columbia’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2020:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 239 baby girls
  2. Emma, 184
  3. Charlotte, 161
  4. Ava, 157
  5. Amelia, 148
  6. Sophia, 138
  7. Isla, 130
  8. Hannah, 128
  9. Chloe, 125
  10. Emily, 111

Boy Names

  1. Liam, 223 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 215
  3. Noah, 206
  4. Lucas, 193
  5. Benjamin, 174 (tie)
  6. Theodore, 174 (tie)
  7. Ethan, 170
  8. Jack, 158
  9. Leo, 154
  10. William, 149

In the girls’ top 10, Hannah and Emily replaced Mia, Evelyn and Ella.

In the boys’ top 10, Jack replaced Logan.

Some of the baby names from lower down in the rankings include…

Girl NamesBoy Names
Arzoi (5 baby girls), Baani (16), Cordelia (5), Della (12), Eunice (8), Fenna (5), Gurasees (9), Holland (7), Izzy (5), Jana (9), Kairi (5), Lina (9), Maple (8), Navy (9), Ophelia (19), Prabhleen (5), Rubani (5), Sahara (5), Tayla (5), Veronica (8), Waverly (8), Yuna (8), Zelda (7)Axton (6 baby boys), Brandt (5), Clyde (7), Dalton (6), Elio (7), Franklin (8), Grey (6), Hendrik (8), Ivan (17), Jerry (7), Kabir (23), Leonidas (5), Merrick (7), Nova (7), Ollie (7), Pearson (5), Rupert (5), Sunny (5), Tegh (9), Viraaj (5), Westley (8), Yuvaan (8), Zoravar (5)

I love how specifically Canadian the names Maple and Pearson are. (Lester B. Pearson served as prime minister of Canada during the 1960s.)

In 2019, the top two names in British Columbia were Olivia and Oliver.

Source: Baby’s Most Chosen Names in British Columbia, 2020

The 10 children of Arthur Guinness

Brewer Arthur Guinness (1725-1803)
Arthur Guinness

In 1759, Arthur Guinness founded Ireland’s now-famous Guinness Brewery.

A couple of years later, in 1761, he married his wife Olivia. She had 21 pregnancies — 10 live births and 11 miscarriages. (“It is a testament to her solid constitution that she survived 21 pregnancies in an era when so many women died in childbirth.”)

Here are the names of their ten children (4 girls, 6 boys):

  1. Elizabeth (born in 1763)
  2. Hosea (1765)
  3. Arthur II (1768)
  4. Edward (1772)
  5. Olivia (1775)
  6. Benjamin (1777)
  7. William Lunell (1779)
  8. Louisa (1781)
  9. John Grattan (1783)
  10. Mary Anne (1787)

Three of Arthur’s sons — Arthur II, Benjamin, and William Lunell — ended up working in the family business.

I don’t know where the middle name “Lunell” came from, but “Grattan” was a surname on Olivia’s side of the family. It was her mother’s maiden name, and it was also the surname of distant cousin/politician Henry Grattan, “through whose lobbying major changes in the fiscal status of beer were eventually secured, most dramatically with the abolition of the excise duty on beer in 1795.”

Sources:

Popular and unique baby names in Alberta (Canada), 2020

Flag of Alberta
Flag of Alberta

Last year, the Canadian province of Alberta welcomed 49,030 babies — 25,160 boys and 23,870 girls.

What were the most popular names among these 2020 babies? Olivia and Noah.

Here are the top-10 lists by gender:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 236 baby girls
  2. Emma, 184
  3. Charlotte, 161
  4. Ava, 159
  5. Sophia, 151
  6. Amelia, 145
  7. Isla, 133
  8. Emily, 127
  9. Lily, 123
  10. Abigail, 114

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 239 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 229
  3. Liam, 206
  4. Benjamin, 182
  5. William, 178
  6. Jack, 169
  7. Lucas, 163
  8. Theodore, 159
  9. Levi, 153
  10. Owen, 152

In the girls’ top 10, Isla and Lily replaced Hannah and Elizabeth. In fact, Lily jumped all the way from 24th (in 2019) to 9th (in 2020).

In the boys’ top 10, Theodore and Levi replaced Ethan and Jacob. Levi, like Lily, saw a big jump from 27th (in 2019) to 9th (in 2020).

Rare baby names that were bestowed just once in Alberta last year include…

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Aztrellina, Bellashae, Chloezel, Dexy, Electrona, Franzene, Goldwyn, Hirtoli, Iskra-Maurize, Jenebith, Kalkidan, Kikasia, Kisik, Larkspur, Lithuli, Magaty, Mirgisee, Nannally, Nomvela, Obsinet, Pkachhouk, Pulcherie, Qaroo, Rhemalie, Rielle, Roanix, Silk-Nightsun, Slyzze, Somadina, Tezlokai, Trixene, Ulita, Vallyn, Wapikwanew, Wicanphi-Peta, Xeene, Yatika, ZintayaArctic, Boajor, Chinook, Cyomoro, Dazzlo, Discern, Edline, Fendt, Greysky, Hananiah, Iforel, Jryxx, Kikisepaw-Kihiw, Kjerrand, Kodiak, Lelouch, Marlgrae, Moyo, Naatósíniipi, Nufuri, Outlaw, Psalmson, Qifan, Rionzed, Running, Sikapiohkitopi, Sîktogeja, Skydancer, StormRyder, Taiga, Tonderai, Ulfbjorn, Valois, Wapikihew, Wembley, Xylatar, Ynno, Zeuxis-Finn

Here are some explanations and/or potential influences for a few of the above:

  • Pkachhouk, or pka chhouk, means “lotus” in Khmer (Cambodian). Pka by itself is the word for “flower.”
  • Wapikwanew means “flower” in Cree.
  • Kikisepaw-Kihiw — kikisepaw means “morning, dawn” and kihiw means “eagle” in Cree.
  • Kjerrand is a Norwegian name ultimately derived from a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “army” and “rim, edge (of a shield).”
  • Lelouch Lamperouge is an anime character.
  • Sîktogeja means “wolf” in Nakoda.
  • Taiga could refer to the coniferous forest of the subarctic, or to the English word “tiger.”
  • Valois (pronounced val-wa) was both a historical region and a historical royal house of France.

Finally, here are the 2019 rankings for Alberta, if you’d like to compare.

Sources: Alberta’s Top Baby Names (PDFs: Girl Names, Boy Names), Olivia and Noah most popular baby names in 2020, Online Cree Dictionary, Nordic Names

Image: Adapted from Flag of Alberta (public domain)

Popular baby names in Saskatchewan (Canada), 2020

Flag of Saskatchewan
Flag of Saskatchewan

Last year, Saskatchewan welcomed a total of 14,170 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Liam.

Here are Saskatchewan’s top 20 girl names and top 20 boy names of 2020:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 79 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 55
  3. Emma, 50
  4. Emily, 43
  5. Sophia, 41
  6. Ava, 37 (tie)
  7. Harper, 37 (tie)
  8. Addison, 35 (3-way tie)
  9. Ellie, 35 (3-way tie)
  10. Scarlett, 35 (3-way tie)
  11. Charlotte, 32 (tie)
  12. Isla, 32 (tie)
  13. Hazel, 30
  14. Abigail, 29 (tie)
  15. Aurora, 29 (tie)
  16. Ivy, 28
  17. Evelyn, 27
  18. Elizabeth, 26
  19. Nora, 25
  20. Madison, 24

Boy Names

  1. Liam, 74 baby boys
  2. Jack, 53
  3. Oliver, 49
  4. Hudson, 48
  5. Noah, 47 (tie)
  6. William, 47 (tie)
  7. Lucas, 44
  8. Benjamin, 43 (tie)
  9. Theodore, 43 (tie)
  10. Bennett, 41 (4-way tie)
  11. Henry, 41 (4-way tie)
  12. Lincoln, 41 (4-way tie)
  13. Luke, 41 (4-way tie)
  14. Maverick, 39 (tie)
  15. Owen, 39 (tie)
  16. James, 38 (tie)
  17. Levi, 38 (tie)
  18. Asher, 37
  19. Wyatt, 36
  20. Brooks, 35

In the preliminary rankings (which covered the year up to December 9th), the top ten boy names included the name Maverick. In these finalized rankings, however, Maverick came in 14th — right below Luke.

In 2019, the top two names were the same.

Sources: Open Data and Public Reporting – eHealth Saskatchewan, Liam And Olivia Still Saskatchewan’s Most Popular Baby Names In 2020

Image: Adapted from Flag of Saskatchewan (public domain)