Total births
48,500
Boys' name · since 1882
Benny
Benny has 48,500 recorded births since 1882 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1948 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #888
- among boys today
- 48,500
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Benny is the #888 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 48,500 recorded since 1882.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Benny has been recorded 48,500 times among boys since 1882, currently ranked #888 nationally and more common than 94% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #888 among boys today
- 48,500 born since 1882
- 1940s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Benny is currently the #888 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 48,500 born since 1882, peaking in the 1940s.
- #888
- among boys today
- 48,500
- born since 1882
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Benny vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#888
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1940s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Benny was born in this single decade.
1948
Single peak year
1,065 babies were named Benny in 1948 - its busiest year on record.
How Benny compares
48,500 Top 4% higher than 96% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Benny's all-time total is 132x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Benny | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 48,500 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,065 | 23 | 22,252 |
Benny's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Benny's SSA record in two at 1954 and the more recent half accounts for 47% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 53%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1948 peak of 1,065, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Benny at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1948
Current rank
#888
Active since
1882
Benny popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1948)
- 1,065
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Benny popularity over time - girls
644 total births recorded since 1917 (Benny as girls' name)
Benny by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Benny's strongest decade.
9,303 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Benny births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 53
1880s
53 births
- 1890s 109
1890s
109 births
- 1900s 263
1900s
263 births
- 1910s 1,636
1910s
1,636 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,813 births
- 1930s
1930s
6,863 births
- 1940s
1940s
9,303 births
- 1950s
1950s
8,805 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,655 births
- 1970s 3,316
1970s
3,316 births
- 1980s 2,341
1980s
2,341 births
- 1990s 1,828
1990s
1,828 births
- 2000s 1,749
2000s
1,749 births
- 2010s 1,399
2010s
1,399 births
- 2020s 1,367
2020s
1,367 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 9,303 births (19% of all-time use).
How Benny compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Benny's total volume
Benny vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Benny by state
Where Benny concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 6,144 | 12.7% |
| #2 | California | | 4,744 | 9.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 2,975 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 2,267 | 4.7% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 2,098 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 1,786 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 1,663 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 1,493 | 3.1% |
Texas share of Benny's total US births 12.7%
Even split
6,144 of 48,500 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Benny appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Benny? ▼
48,500 babies have been named Benny since 1882. It currently ranks #888 among boys. The peak year was 1948 with 1,065 births.
When was Benny most popular? ▼
Benny was most popular in the 1940s decade with 9,303 total births. The single peak year was 1948.
Where is Benny most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Benny are Texas (6,144 births), California (4,744 births), New York (2,975 births).
How long has the name Benny been used? ▼
Records for Benny go back to 1882, giving 144 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Benny? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Benjamin, Ben, Bennett, Bentley, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Benny's data
- Benny's decade-level peak was the 1940s (9,303 total births); usage has since declined to 1,367 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Bennys (6,144 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 Benny
Nearby Names Like Benny
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Benny
Benjamin Boy
#11 826,830 births
Ben Boy
#800 85,349 births
Bennett Boy
#60 72,514 births
Bentley Boy
#201 60,027 births
Bennie Boy
#2502 52,753 births
Compare Benny side by side: Benny vs Benjamin Benny vs Ben Benny vs Bennett
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Benny
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, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Benny: #888 Boys' Name - 48,500 Births, Peak 1948." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/benny. 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 Benny 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.