Given name & surname
Benn
“son of the south; son of the right hand”
Benn is a variant of Ben. In English use, Ben carries the interpretation “son of the south; son of the right hand.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Benn is a variant of Ben. In English use, Ben carries the interpretation “son of the south; son of the right hand.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Benn through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 382
- 382 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1980
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2018. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 491 as a first name in 2020; 4,548 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Benn’s family of names
Benn has a related form in Ben. In English usage, Benn as a surname has a related form in BENNE.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Benn
- Benn HarradineAustralian discus throwerborn 1982
- Benn JordanAmerican musicianborn 1978
- Benn FerrieroAmerican ice hockey playerborn 1987
- BennFrench painter (1905-1989)
- Benn Barhamprofessional golferborn 1976
- Benn LevyBritish politician (1900-1973)
- Benn RobinsonAustralian rugby union playerborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Benn, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Benji
“son of the right hand” · “son of the south”
98% boys · 2% girls
Vinh
“from the bay”
>99% boys
Brenton
“from the hill”
>99% boys
Minh
“a clever man”
92% boys · 8% girls
Jamin
“the right hand of favor”
>99% boys
Zebulun
“one who has been exalted”
>99% boys
Antwan
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
>99% boys
Clint
“from the town on the hill”
>99% boys