UK boy's name
Benson
Derived from an Old English surname meaning "son of Benne".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Benson is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Benson popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1595, with 16 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 19 births.
This profile covers 239 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 84% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 240 living people in the UK are called Benson. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Benson ranked #1595 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 16 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2016, when 19 boys were registered as Benson.
- • Benson ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #686 in 2015.
- • About 240 living people in the UK are estimated to have Benson as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1595
2024
Births in 2024
16
Latest year
Peak year
2016
19 births
Estimated living
240
2026
Meaning
What does Benson mean?
The name Benson has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the words "ben" meaning "bean" and "son" meaning "son." This combination suggests that the name originally referred to "the son of a bean farmer" or someone associated with the cultivation of beans. The name emerged in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Benson can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and property rights in England compiled in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Bensun" and "Benson," indicating its widespread use at the time.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the name Benson was Saint Benson, an English Catholic martyr who was executed in 1590 for his refusal to renounce his faith during the English Reformation. He was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1970.
In the realm of literature, the name Benson gained prominence through the works of Arthur Christopher Benson (1862-1925), an English essayist, poet, and author best known for his autobiographical works, including "The Leaves of the Tree" and "The House of Quiet."
Another notable bearer of the name was Edward Frederic Benson (1867-1940), an English novelist and biographer, and the elder brother of E.F. Benson. He is best known for his biographical works on figures such as Queen Victoria and Alwyn Carr.
In the field of astronomy, William Samuel Benson (1855-1932) was an English amateur astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of variable stars and double stars. He was also a prolific writer on astronomical topics.
Frank Weston Benson (1862-1951) was an American Impressionist painter and a member of the Ten American Painters group. He is renowned for his works depicting scenes of daily life, particularly those featuring children and coastal landscapes.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Benson throughout history, reflecting its longevity and enduring presence across various fields and cultures.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Benson over time
The chart below shows babies named Benson registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Benson, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 16 births in 2024, compared with 19 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Benson by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Benson was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2263 | 50 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2071 | 110 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2232 | 69 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2051 | 10 | 2 |
Geography
Where Benson is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Benson. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Benson ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #686 in 2015.
Across the UK
Benson in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#686 in 2015
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Benson
-
Benson Taylor
composer; record producer; songwriter
composer and music producer from the United Kingdom
1983-
Related
Names similar to Benson
- Benjamin 90,412
- Ben 36,356
- Bradley 30,230
- Brandon 26,411
- Billy 18,608
- Bobby 16,904
- Blake 16,337
- Bailey 16,014
- Brody 7,230
- Beau 6,722
- Barnaby 5,284
- Brodie 4,801
FAQ
Benson: questions and answers
How popular is the name Benson in the UK right now?
In 2024, Benson was ranked #1595 for boys in England and Wales, with 16 births registered.
When was Benson most popular?
The peak year on record was 2016, with 19 babies registered as Benson in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Benson?
Derived from an Old English surname meaning "son of Benne".
How many people are called Benson in the UK?
A total of 239 babies have been registered as Benson across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Benson most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Benson ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #686 in 2015. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.