Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1975

Benji

Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #1,341 Trend ↑ Rising 46%
Rank 2025
#1,341
among boys · ↑281 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
142
named Benji · +35% vs 2024
How common
1 in 12,029
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1975
176 babies
All-time total
2,348
#3,033 all-time among boys
First recorded
1952
in Social Security records

Benji popularity over time

2,348 babies have been named Benji since 1952, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 6 64 70 7 – #1,731
1960s 5 150 155 16 +121% #1,898
1970s 36 566 602 60 +288% #623
1980s – 157 157 16 -74% #1,524
1990s – 87 87 9 -45% #4,438
2000s – 137 137 14 +57% #4,602
2010s 5 454 459 46 +235% #1,940
2020s (to 2025) 11 670 681 114 +147% #1,341

Where Benji is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 153 0.09 outside top 500
2027 164 0.10 outside top 500
2028 173 0.10 outside top 500
2029 181 0.11 outside top 500
2030 188 0.11 outside top 500

Where Benji is most popular

Boys named Benji per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.066 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, Ohio, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Benji born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Washington 23 0.141 +114%
Ohio 36 0.136 +107%
California 95 0.104 +58%
Pennsylvania 25 0.094 +43%
Wisconsin 7 0.059 -10%
Massachusetts 8 0.058 -11%
Utah 5 0.052 -20%
Florida 24 0.051 -23%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -26%
Colorado 6 0.046 -29%
Texas 39 0.044 -33%
North Carolina 11 0.043 -34%
New York 12 0.028 -58%
Georgia 7 0.028 -58%
Illinois 5 0.020 -70%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Benji

Benji is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,341 in 2025 with 142 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1952, 2,348 American babies have been named Benji. Its peak came in 1975, when 176 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Benji stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Benji?

The median living Benji is about 15 years old; half are between 4 and 49. An estimated 2,200 people named Benji are alive in the United States today.

median 15 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Benji year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 142 #1,341
2024 – – 105 #1,622
2023 5 #15,569 108 #1,610
2022 – – 130 #1,414
2021 – – 82 #1,871
2020 6 #13,729 103 #1,579
2019 5 #15,914 76 #1,940
2018 – – 73 #1,994
2017 – – 66 #2,093
2016 – – 49 #2,559
2015 – – 55 #2,359
2014 – – 44 #2,713
2013 – – 29 #3,590
2012 – – 19 #4,882
2011 – – 19 #4,838
2010 – – 24 #4,114
2009 – – 19 #4,943
2008 – – 14 #6,106
2007 – – 17 #5,230
2006 – – 16 #5,333
2005 – – 16 #5,065
2004 – – 8 #8,218
2003 – – 11 #6,306
2002 – – 12 #5,764
2001 – – 8 #7,605
2000 – – 16 #4,602
1995 – – 8 #6,467
1990 – – 12 #4,438
1985 – – 5 #6,621
1980 – – 40 #1,524
1975 8 #6,546 168 #623
1970 – – 12 #2,747
1965 – – 17 #1,921
1960 – – 15 #2,134
1955 – – 5 #3,930
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Benji

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Benji Madden Benji Madden American guitarist (born 1979) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Benji, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Benji?

The median living Benji is about 15 years old. Half of all living Benjis are between 4 and 49 years old.

How many people named Benji are alive today?

An estimated 2,200 people named Benji are alive in the United States, based on 2,348 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Benji in 2025?

Benji ranked #1,341 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 142 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Benji?

2,348 babies have been named Benji in the United States since 1952, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Benji most popular?

Benji peaked in 1975, when 176 newborns received the name.

Is Benji a boy or girl name?

Benji is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Benji rising or falling?

Benji is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Benji become more popular?

Benji is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 188 boys named Benji in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Benji?

Well-known people named Benji include Benji Madden (singer).

Names like Benji

Names that sound and feel close to Benji: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Benji with similar names → More names starting with B →