2000
#868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,439
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.51
Uncommon Last name
Benjamin
A patronymic surname derived from the Hebrew given name Benjamin, meaning "son of the right hand" or "son of the south."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,269 Americans carry the last name Benjamin. That puts it at #855 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benjamin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Benjamin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,572
Census rank
#855
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,477 bearers of the surname Benjamin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 855th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benjamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.0%. The next largest groups are Black (42.0%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benjamin
The surname Benjamin is a patronymic name derived from the Hebrew personal name "Binyamin". It originated in the ancient Israelite tribes and was initially used to refer to descendants of the biblical figure Benjamin, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. The name Benjamin means "son of the right hand" or "son of the south" in Hebrew.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Benjamin can be traced back to medieval Jewish communities in Europe, particularly in France, Germany, and England. It was commonly used among Ashkenazi Jewish families during this period. One of the earliest known references to the surname Benjamin is found in the 13th-century Exchequer Rolls of the Jews in England.
In the 14th century, the surname Benjamin was documented in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk and the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire. During this time, variations in spelling, such as Beniamin and Benyman, were also observed.
Notable individuals with the surname Benjamin include:
1. Judah P. Benjamin (1811-1884), an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as a Senator from Louisiana, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State for the Confederate States of America.
2. Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), a German Jewish philosopher, cultural critic, and essayist, best known for his work on aesthetics, modernity, and the philosophy of history.
3. Asher Benjamin (1773-1845), an American architect and author who was a prominent figure in the Federal style of architecture in the early United States.
4. Arthur Benjamin (1893-1960), an Australian composer and pianist known for his works in the light classical and popular music genres.
5. Raphael Benjamin (1836-1891), a German-born American artist and engraver, known for his engravings of portraits and historical scenes.
The surname Benjamin has also been associated with various place names, such as Benjamin's Town in South Carolina, and Benjamin's Cove in Newfoundland, Canada. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Benjamin who settled or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benjamin
Among Census respondents with the surname Benjamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.0%. The next largest groups are Black (42.0%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Benjamin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Benjamin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.0% · 17,762
- Black or African American42.0% · 16,594
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 1,811
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,679
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 1,281
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 350
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benjamin
Benjamin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,590
+4,151 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 13.76
Rank movement Up 18 places
2020
#855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,477
-1,113 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 13.21
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #868 | 36,439 | 13.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #850 | 40,590 | 13.76 | +4,151 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 18 places |
| 2020 | #855 | 39,477 | 13.21 | -1,113 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 5 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Benjamin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #850 | #855 | -0.6% |
| Count | 40,590 | 39,477 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 13.76 | 13.21 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benjamin bearers went from 40,590 to 39,477 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #850 to #855.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Benjamin
FAQ
Benjamin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benjamin?
Name Census estimates that about 45,269 living Americans carry the surname Benjamin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,572 residents.
How common is Benjamin?
Benjamin ranks #855 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,477 people with the surname Benjamin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,269), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Benjamin.
Has Benjamin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benjamin went from 40,590 recorded bearers to 39,477. That is a decrease of 1,113 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #850 to #855.
What does the Census say about the background of Benjamin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benjamin, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.0%. The next largest groups are Black (42.0%) and Hispanic (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Benjamin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.0% (17,762 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benjamin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.0%), Black (42.0%), Hispanic (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Benjamin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Benjamin mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Hebrew given name Benjamin, meaning "son of the right hand" or "son of the south." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Benjamin (13.21 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Benjamin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.