Given name & surname
Benson
“the son of Ben”
Benson is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “the son of Ben.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “the son of Ben.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Benson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 14,344
- 14,312 boys · 32 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 1,227 babies
- 2025
- 1,227
- #279 for boys · #7,958 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,214 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 279 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 8.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 13 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (75). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,711 as a first name in 2020; 82,707 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.
Benson’s family of names
Benson is a short form of Benedict. Benson has a related form in Bence. Benson has a related form in Bensan.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Benedictfull form
- Bensynvariant
- Bensenvariant
- Bencevariant
- Bincevariant
- Binsevariant
- Bensevariant
- Bensonandvariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Benson
- Benson BooneAmerican singerborn 2002
- Benson HendersonAmerican mixed martial artist (born 1983)
- Benson FongAmerican actor (1916-1987)
- Benson Taylorcomposer and music producer from the United Kingdomborn 1983
- Benson SeureiBahraini middle-distance runner of Kenyan descentborn 1984
- Benson Gicharuboxerborn 1985
- Benson WoodAmerican politician (1839-1915)
- Benson K. WhitneyAmerican ambassadorborn 1956
- Benson FarbAmerican mathematicianborn 1967
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Benson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Beckett
“from the small brook”
95% boys · 5% girls
Stetson
“child of one who is crowned” · “a cowboy”
99% boys · 1% girls
Weston
“from the western town”
>99% boys
Banks
Banks is a surname.
91% boys · 9% girls
Baker
“one who bakes”
91% boys · 9% girls
Kingston
“from the king's town”
>99% boys
Lawson
“the son of Lawrence”
96% boys · 4% girls
Barrett
“having the strength of a bear” · “an argumentative person”
98% boys · 2% girls