Total births
13,669
Girls' name · since 1889
Benita
Since 1889, U.S. Social Security records show 13,669 babies named Benita, peaking in 1961. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #11148
- among girls today
- 13,669
- born since 1889
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Benita is the #11148 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 13,669 recorded since 1889.
Benita has 13,669 recorded births among girls since 1889, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #11148 as of the latest data, more common than 37% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1889 to 2025.
- #11148 among girls today
- 13,669 born since 1889
- 1960s peak decade
- 37% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Benita is currently the #11148 girls' name in America, more common than 37% of girls - 13,669 born since 1889, peaking in the 1960s.
- #11148
- among girls today
- 13,669
- born since 1889
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other girls
Benita vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#11148
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 37% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Benita was born in this single decade.
1961
Single peak year
480 babies were named Benita in 1961 - its busiest year on record.
How Benita compares
13,669 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Benita's all-time total is 36x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Benita | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 13,669 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 480 | 48 | 19,840 |
Benita's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Benita splits its recorded history at 1959: 57% of all births land in the more recent half, 43% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1889 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1961 peak of 480 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Benita at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1961
Current rank
#11,148
Active since
1889
Benita popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1889–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 480
- Annual births at peak, across 137 years of records
Benita by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Benita's strongest decade.
3,720 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Benita births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 46
1890s
46 births
- 1900s 92
1900s
92 births
- 1910s 422
1910s
422 births
- 1920s 668
1920s
668 births
- 1930s 1,069
1930s
1,069 births
- 1940s 1,117
1940s
1,117 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,889 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,720 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,771 births
- 1980s 949
1980s
949 births
- 1990s 474
1990s
474 births
- 2000s 221
2000s
221 births
- 2010s 149
2010s
149 births
- 2020s 77
2020s
77 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 3,720 births (27% of all-time use).
How Benita compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Benita's total volume
Benita vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Benita by state
Where Benita concentrates geographically, total births since 1889
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,129 | 15.6% |
| #2 | California | | 921 | 6.7% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 696 | 5.1% |
| #4 | New York | | 656 | 4.8% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 465 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 438 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 423 | 3.1% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 406 | 3.0% |
Texas share of Benita's total US births 15.6%
Even split
2,129 of 13,669 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Benita appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Benita? ▼
Benita has been given to 13,669 babies in the U.S. since 1889, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #11148 as of the latest data. 480 babies were born in 1961, its single highest year.
When was Benita most popular? ▼
Benita was most popular in the 1960s decade with 3,720 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Benita most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Benita are Texas (2,129 births), California (921 births), Illinois (696 births).
How long has the name Benita been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Benita since 1889 -- 137 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Benita? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bennie, Bentley, Benjamin, Bennett, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Benita's data
- Benita's decade-level peak was the 1960s (3,720 total births); usage has since declined to 77 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Benitas (2,129 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Benita
Nearby Names Like Benita
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Benita
Bennie Girl
#4895 9,936 births
Bentley Girl
#1704 3,535 births
Benjamin Girl
#13577 2,482 births
Bennett Girl
#1064 2,340 births
Bentlee Girl
#5737 937 births
Compare Benita side by side: Benita vs Bennie Benita vs Bentley Benita vs Benjamin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Benita
Petronila #11147
69 births · Peak 2020
Jack #11149
2,734 births · Peak 1928
Lu #11146
4,046 births · Peak 1954
Lolita #11150
8,664 births · Peak 1963
Tera #11145
9,918 births · Peak 1984
Theora #11151
853 births · Peak 1929
Isadore #11144
195 births · Peak 1917
Melba #11152
34,873 births · Peak 1924
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1889–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Benita: #11148 Girls' Name - 13,669 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/benita. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Benita draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.