Benny - A very unique male name
Benny at a glance
Benny is ranked #867 among boy baby names in 2025, with 230 births in 2025. It peaked in 1939 at #171 and first appeared on the charts in 1910.
- Rank in 2025
- #867
- Births in 2025
- 230
- Peak year
- 1939 (#171)
- First appeared
- 1910
- Trend
- #1175 in 2020 → #867 in 2025 (Rising)
- Popularity
- 1 in 6,375 boys
- Visitor rating
- 4.3/5 (8 recent votes)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration · Data through 2025 · Updated 2026
With that position 1 in 6,375 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Benny peaked in popularity 87 years ago in 1939 on position 171.
Famous with this name
Benny
Benny
Benny Emmanuel
How would you rate Benny, 1-5?
Benny is currently topping the charts in...
Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Benny is currently topping the baby name charts in Utah at position #317 - and is the least popular in Illinois at position #1,311.Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Benny is where you live.
Comment and discuss
Benny origin and meaning
English diminutive of Benjamin or Benedict
A pet form of Benjamin (Hebrew, 'son of the right hand') or of Benedict (Latin, 'blessed')
Benny is Ben with its friendly diminutive ending, put straight onto birth certificates in large numbers in the first half of the 20th century — peaking in 1948 — and carried by a swing king, an ABBA songwriter and a modern hitmaker. After decades at the margins it has lately been climbing again as nickname names return.
Attested etymology
Benny is a 5 letter name with 2 syllables.
To see famous people named Benny, pop culture references for the name Benny and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.Similar to Benny
We've found the following names that sound similar to Benny, sorted by popularity.
Ben / Bennie / Bowen / Boone / Bonnie / Benaiah / Binyomin / Binyamin / Benyamin / Bane /Name statistics
Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better
understanding of how popular or unique this name is.
With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually
differ a lot from state to state.
Chart position per year (visualized)
Chart position per state (visualized)
Chart position per year (table view)
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 867 |
| 2024 | 953 |
| 2023 | 1092 |
| 2022 | 1095 |
| 2021 | 1021 |
| 2020 | 1175 |
| 2019 | 1229 |
| 2018 | 1177 |
| 2017 | 1432 |
| 2016 | 1426 |
| 2015 | 1393 |
| 2014 | 1343 |
| 2013 | 1300 |
| 2012 | 1249 |
| 2011 | 1228 |
| 2010 | 1237 |
| 2009 | 1151 |
| 2008 | 1111 |
| 2007 | 982 |
| 2006 | 940 |
| 2005 | 1014 |
| 2004 | 997 |
| 2003 | 1051 |
| 2002 | 949 |
| 2001 | 930 |
| 2000 | 891 |
| 1999 | 954 |
| 1998 | 898 |
| 1997 | 872 |
| 1996 | 811 |
| 1995 | 778 |
| 1994 | 856 |
| 1993 | 746 |
| 1992 | 731 |
| 1991 | 718 |
| 1990 | 720 |
| 1989 | 659 |
| 1988 | 670 |
| 1987 | 638 |
| 1986 | 652 |
| 1985 | 596 |
| 1984 | 586 |
| 1983 | 589 |
| 1982 | 503 |
| 1981 | 484 |
| 1980 | 495 |
| 1979 | 424 |
| 1978 | 444 |
| 1977 | 454 |
| 1976 | 465 |
| 1975 | 434 |
| 1974 | 420 |
| 1973 | 431 |
| 1972 | 422 |
| 1971 | 418 |
| 1970 | 418 |
| 1969 | 395 |
| 1968 | 380 |
| 1967 | 368 |
| 1966 | 349 |
| 1965 | 333 |
| 1964 | 317 |
| 1963 | 315 |
| 1962 | 279 |
| 1961 | 290 |
| 1960 | 282 |
| 1959 | 272 |
| 1958 | 262 |
| 1957 | 255 |
| 1956 | 244 |
| 1955 | 244 |
| 1954 | 233 |
| 1953 | 225 |
| 1952 | 222 |
| 1951 | 211 |
| 1950 | 215 |
| 1949 | 205 |
| 1948 | 188 |
| 1947 | 194 |
| 1946 | 184 |
| 1945 | 187 |
| 1944 | 180 |
| 1943 | 176 |
| 1942 | 178 |
| 1941 | 182 |
| 1940 | 178 |
| 1939 | 171 |
| 1938 | 178 |
| 1937 | 179 |
| 1936 | 181 |
| 1935 | 190 |
| 1934 | 186 |
| 1933 | 198 |
| 1932 | 209 |
| 1931 | 209 |
| 1930 | 238 |
| 1929 | 251 |
| 1928 | 264 |
| 1927 | 275 |
| 1926 | 289 |
| 1925 | 290 |
| 1924 | 278 |
| 1923 | 305 |
| 1922 | 349 |
| 1921 | 344 |
| 1920 | 364 |
| 1919 | 366 |
| 1918 | 364 |
| 1917 | 383 |
| 1916 | 423 |
| 1915 | 394 |
| 1914 | 424 |
| 1913 | 396 |
| 1912 | 421 |
| 1911 | 477 |
| 1910 | 533 |
Chart position per state (table view)
| State | Rank |
|---|---|
| Utah | 317 |
| Nevada | 395 |
| Arizona | 492 |
| Missouri | 523 |
| Washington | 581 |
| North Carolina | 596 |
| California | 639 |
| Colorado | 768 |
| Louisiana | 790 |
| New Jersey | 837 |
| Pennsylvania | 857 |
| Indiana | 859 |
| Ohio | 860 |
| Florida | 890 |
| Texas | 893 |
| New York | 919 |
| Michigan | 1007 |
| Illinois | 1311 |
Even more about Benny
These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.
Is Benny a common or unique name?
By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.What is the number of syllables for the name Benny?
2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.Pronunciation
BEN-ee · /ˈbɛni/
Around the world
No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.
Spellings and nicknames
- Bennie — The -ie spelling variant of the same diminutive
Nicknames: Ben
Famous bearers
- Benny Goodman — Clarinetist and bandleader, the King of Swing (1909–1986) Historical
- Benny Blanco — Hit songwriter and producer (born Benjamin Levin, known professionally as Benny Blanco) (b. 1988) Contemporary
- Benny Andersson — Songwriter and keyboardist of ABBA (b. 1946) Contemporary
Style
Nickname nameShort form
Why parents choose it
Benny is all bounce and goodwill — parents picking it want the warmth of the nickname without the formality of Benjamin.
Worth knowing
- Many will assume it is short for Benjamin and use the full name on documents
- 'Benny and the Jets' and Benny Hill jokes span the generations
