Benny

“Variant of Benjamin — Son of the right hand; or son of days” — Hebrew origin

Boy's name · #841 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Benny holds its lane: charted since 1882 and rarely far from where it stands today (#841 in 2025). About 49,000 boys have carried it along the way. Its center of gravity has moved: strongest in the South in the 1940s and 1950s, strongest in the West today. Together with its spelling variant Bennie (#2519), Benny would rank around #749 with about 350 births last year — the newborns split about 85/15 between Benny and Bennie.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,800 boys in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 2,000 boys in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 3,900 boys in England & Wales (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 16 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Bennys

Benny Goodman — American jazz clarinetist and bandleader (1909–1986)
Benny Andersson — Swedish musician and composer
Benny Hill — British comedian and actor (1924–1992)
Benny Gantz — Israeli military officer and politician (born 1959)
Benny Benassi — Italian DJ, record producer and remixer

In stories & tradition

Benny the Bull — fictional bull
Benny Fazio — The Sopranos
Benny Skacke — Martin Beck

What Bennys become

Among 624 notable people named Benny:

Entertainers appear 1.92× more often than among typical names — e.g. Benny Goodman, American jazz clarinetist and bandleader (1909–1986).

Similar names: Bennie · Teddy · Bennet · Kenny · Sammy · Johnny

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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