Benjamin (name)
Encyclopedia
Benjamin is a popular given name
for males, derived from Hebrew בנימין translating as "son of my right [hand]". It is often shortened to Ben
, and sometimes to Benny, Bennie, Benjy, Benji or "Big Ben". Benjamin is also a patronymic
surname
. Like many biblical names, it is popular in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths alike, having many variant forms in other languages.
The "Benjamin of the family" is a phrase used in several languages to refer to the youngest son - especially when he is much younger than his brothers (from the biblical son of Jacob of that name, who occupied that position in his family). Sometimes the name is chosen for a son born to mature parents unlikely to have more children, especially if he has several older siblings.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
for males, derived from Hebrew בנימין translating as "son of my right [hand]". It is often shortened to Ben
Ben
Ben is often a shortened version of the given name Benjamin, Benvolio, Benedict, or less commonly Bentley, although it is also used as a formal given name in its own right...
, and sometimes to Benny, Bennie, Benjy, Benji or "Big Ben". Benjamin is also a patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
. Like many biblical names, it is popular in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths alike, having many variant forms in other languages.
The "Benjamin of the family" is a phrase used in several languages to refer to the youngest son - especially when he is much younger than his brothers (from the biblical son of Jacob of that name, who occupied that position in his family). Sometimes the name is chosen for a son born to mature parents unlikely to have more children, especially if he has several older siblings.
In other languages
- AmharicAmharic languageAmharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
: Biniam (ቢንያም) - Portuguese: Benjamim
- Russian: Veniamin
- TurkishTurkish languageTurkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
: Bünyamin
Given name
People with the name Benjamin or its variant spellings include:- Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin NetanyahuBenjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
(b. 1949) Israeli Prime Minister - Benjamin II (1818–1864), the pen name of a Romanian traveler
- Benjamin (Khazar)Benjamin (Khazar)A Khazar ruler , mentioned in the Schechter Text and the Khazar Correspondence, Benjamin was the son of the Khazar ruler Menahem and probably reigned in the late ninth and early tenth centuries CE....
, ruler of the late ninth and early tenth centuries CE - Benjamin (saint)Benjamin (saint)Saint Benjamin was a deacon martyred circa 424 in Persia. St. Benjamin was executed during a period of persecution of Christians that lasted forty years and through the reign of two Persian kings: Isdegerd I, who died in 421, and his son and successor, Varanes V...
, early 5th century martyr in Persia, feast day on March 30 - Benjamin of TudelaBenjamin of TudelaBenjamin of Tudela was a medieval Jewish traveler who visited Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 12th century. His vivid descriptions of western Asia preceded those of Marco Polo by a hundred years...
, 12th century Spanish rabbi - Patriarch Benjamin I, patriarch of Constantinople
- Pope Benjamin II of AlexandriaPope Benjamin II of AlexandriaPope Benjamin II of Alexandria was the Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark between 1327 and 1339....
(1327–1339), Coptic Pope - Benjamin AgostoBenjamin AgostoBenjamin Alexandro Agosto is an American ice dancer. With partner Tanith Belbin, Agosto is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2004–2006 Four Continents champion, and 2004–2008 U.S. champion....
(b. 1982), American figure skater - Benjamin BiolayBenjamin BiolayBenjamin Biolay is a French singer, songwriter, musician, actor and record producer. He is the brother of singer Coralie Clément, whose two albums he wrote and produced, and the ex-husband of Chiara Mastroianni, the daughter of Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni.His low-key vocal style is...
(b. 1973), French singer, songwriter, producer and actor - Benjamin BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
(1913–1976), British composer - Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin HarrisonBenjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
(1833–1901), 23rd President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.... - Benjamin FranklinBenjamin FranklinDr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
(1706–1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States - Benjamin OkolskiBenjamin OkolskiBenjamin Okolski is an American pair skater. He is best known for his partnership with Brooke Castile. They are the 2007 U.S. National Champions...
, American figure skater - Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), a 19th Century Prime Minister of the United KingdomPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
- Benjamin KimutaiBenjamin KimutaiBenjamin Kimutai Koskei is a male long-distance runner from Kenya, who won the 2002 edition of the Amsterdam Marathon, clocking 2:07:26.-Achievements:- References :*...
(b. 1971), Kenyan long-distance runner - Benjamin Leiner (Benny Leonard; "The Ghetto Wizard"; 1896-1947), American world champion lightweight Hall of Fame boxer
- Benjamin McKenzieBenjamin McKenzieBenjamin McKenzie Schenkkan , better known as Benjamin McKenzie, is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the television series The O.C. and for playing Ben Sherman in Southland. He appeared in the films Junebug and 88 Minutes which earned him a Sarasota Film...
(b. 1978), American actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity... - Benjamin MwangataBenjamin MwangataBenjamin Mwangata is a retired male boxer from Tanzania, who represented his native East African country as a flyweight in two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988 . He also competed at two Commonwealth Games: 1990 and 1998.-References:* *...
(b. 1966), Tanzanian boxer - Ben AffleckBen AffleckBenjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
(b. 1972), American film screenwriter, director and actor - Ben Barnes (actor)Ben Barnes (actor)Benjamin Thomas "Ben" Barnes is an English actor, best known for his portrayal of Caspian X in The Chronicles of Narnia films Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.-Early life and education:...
(b. 1981), British actor, Prince Caspian - Ben BernankeBen BernankeBen Shalom Bernanke is an American economist, and the current Chairman of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States. During his tenure as Chairman, Bernanke has overseen the response of the Federal Reserve to late-2000s financial crisis....
(b. 1953), current Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve - Benjamin ZephaniahBenjamin ZephaniahBenjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah is an English writer and dub poet. He is a well-known figure in contemporary English literature, and was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008....
, poet and writer - Benjamin WadeBenjamin WadeBenjamin Franklin "Bluff" Wade was a U.S. lawyer and United States Senator. In the Senate, he was associated with the Radical Republicans of that time.-Early life:...
(1800–1878), American lawyer and United States Senator - Benjamin Zhang BinBenjamin Zhang BinBenjamin Zhang Bin is a mainland Chinese Manhua artist and illustrator, who works under the pen name "Benjamin"....
, mainland Chinese ManhuaManhuaManhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
artist and illustrator - Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897-1941), American linguist, known for ciontributing to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
Surname
- Andre Benjamin (born 1975), American musician and actor; co-founder of OutkastOutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
- Arthur BenjaminArthur BenjaminArthur Leslie Benjamin was an Australian composer, pianist, conductor and teacher. He is best known as the composer of Jamaican Rhumba, composed in 1938.-Biography:...
(1893–1960), Australian composer - Asher BenjaminAsher BenjaminAsher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...
(1773–1845), American architect - Collin BenjaminCollin BenjaminCollin Benjamin is a Namibian football midfielder. He plays for German side TSV 1860 Munich and Namibia.He represented Namibia at the 2008 African Cup of Nations and has 32 caps.-External links:* at transfermarkt.de...
(born 1978), Namibian football (soccer) player - François BenjaminFrançois BenjaminFrançois Benjamin is a politician in Quebec. He was an Action démocratique du Québec Member of the National Assembly for the electoral district of Berthier from 2007 to 2008....
(born 1962), Canadian politician - George Benjamin (composer)George Benjamin (composer)George William John Benjamin, CBE is a British composer of classical music. He is also a conductor, pianist and teacher....
(born 1960), British composer - Harry BenjaminHarry BenjaminHarry Benjamin was a German endocrinologist, widely known for his clinical work with transsexualism. He was raised in an observant Ashkenazy Jewish home.- Early life and career :...
(1885–1986), German-born American sexologist - Jessica BenjaminJessica BenjaminJessica Benjamin is an American psychoanalyst and feminist.She is currently on the faculty of New York University's Postdoctoral Psychology Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy...
(born 1946), American feminist and psychoanalyst - Joel BenjaminJoel BenjaminJoel Benjamin is an American chess Grandmaster. In 1998, he was voted "Grandmaster of the Year" by the U.S. Chess Federation. , his Elo rating was 2576, making him the No. 12 player in the U.S. and the 214th-highest rated player in the world.-Life and career:Benjamin is a native of Brooklyn, New...
(born 1964), American chess grandmaster - Judah P. BenjaminJudah P. BenjaminJudah Philip Benjamin was an American politician and lawyer. Born a British subject in the West Indies, he moved to the United States with his parents and became a citizen. He later became a citizen of the Confederate States of America. After the collapse of the Confederacy, Benjamin moved to...
(1811–1884), American politician - Lucy BenjaminLucy Benjamin-Career:Born Lucy Jane Baker in Reading, Berkshire, England, she took the stage name of Benjamin after her brother. Benjamin trained at the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead. Her first acting role was as a child actor in Doctor Who in 1983 playing a young version of the character Nyssa...
(born 1970), actress - Miles BenjaminMiles BenjaminMiles Benjamin is a rugby union player who plays at Wing for Worcester Warriors in the English Aviva Premiership. He also played several other sports in his youth, representing the West Midlands at athletics and water polo, and Warwickshire at cricket...
(born 1988), English rugby union player - Quanteisha Benjamin (born 1991/1992), Canadian singer
- Regina BenjaminRegina BenjaminVice Admiral Regina Marcia Benjamin, USPHS is an American physician who serves as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Benjamin previously directed a nonprofit primary care medical clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama and served on the Board of Trustees for the Morehouse School of...
(born 1956), 18th Surgeon General of the United States - René BenjaminRené BenjaminRené Benjamin was a French author. In 1915, he received the Prix Goncourt for his novel Gaspard. In 1938, he became the first Goncourt laureate to be appointed a member of the Académie Goncourt, the jury that decides the winner of the prize....
(1885–1948), French author - Richard BenjaminRichard BenjaminRichard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
(born 1938), actor - Rick Benjamin (band leader)Rick Benjamin (band leader)Rick Benjamin is the founder and conductor of the world renowned Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. Benjamin has an active career as a pianist and tubist as well as an arranger.-Early Interest in Ragtime Music:...
(fl. c. 2000), musician - Rick BenjaminRick BenjaminRick Benjamin is Speed Channel's voice of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, and has been the voice of Champ Car racing for HDNet from 2004 until then end of the final season of Champ Car in 2007...
(born 1952), race driver - Shelton BenjaminShelton BenjaminShelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
(born 1975), American wrestler - Stan BenjaminStan BenjaminAlfred Stanley "Stan" Benjamin was a right fielder in Major League Baseball for five seasons; four with the Philadelphia Phillies , of the National League , and one with the Cleveland Indians , of the American League . The 6' 2", 194 lb. Benjamin batted and threw right-handed, and was born...
(1914–2009), American professional baseball player - Thomas Benjamin (composer) (born 1940), American composer of "Chesapeake Suite" (1992)
- Walter BenjaminWalter BenjaminWalter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin was a German-Jewish intellectual, who functioned variously as a literary critic, philosopher, sociologist, translator, radio broadcaster and essayist...
(1892–1940), literary critic & writer