Benton
Benton was given to 104 boys in 2025, #1,623 among boys’ names; 10,421 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 7,430 Americans named Benton and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (71% of everyone recorded); the median is 22 years old and half are between 11 and 43.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Benton by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Benton mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Benton is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the senses “bean” (bēan) and “bentgrass” (*beonet) and “enclosure; settlement, town” (tūn).
From either Old English bēan (“bean”) or *beonet (“bentgrass”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).
/ˈbɛn.tən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Benton?
#1,623 among boys’ names, 2025
Benton fell from #874 in 2015 to #1,623 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.13 to 0.06 per 1,000.
278 babies in 2016, the peak
Benton peaked in 2016, when 278 boys were given it, #821 among boys’ names. The 104 births of 2025 are 37% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 104 | #1,623 | 0.06 |
| 2024 | 150 | #1,304 | 0.09 |
| 2023 | 145 | #1,315 | 0.08 |
| 2022 | 155 | #1,256 | 0.09 |
| 2021 | 157 | #1,227 | 0.09 |
| 2020 | 175 | #1,125 | 0.10 |
| 2019 | 187 | #1,076 | 0.10 |
| 2018 | 206 | #1,005 | 0.11 |
| 2017 | 234 | #912 | 0.13 |
| 2016 | 278 | #821 | 0.15 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 254 | #874 | 0.13 |
| 2014 | 223 | #947 | 0.12 |
| 2013 | 225 | #917 | 0.12 |
| 2012 | 240 | #877 | 0.13 |
| 2011 | 212 | #937 | 0.11 |
| 2010 | 165 | #1,127 | 0.09 |
| 2009 | 111 | #1,496 | 0.06 |
| 2008 | 110 | #1,483 | 0.05 |
| 2007 | 138 | #1,273 | 0.07 |
| 2006 | 110 | #1,417 | 0.05 |
| 2005 | 103 | #1,430 | 0.05 |
| 2004 | 103 | #1,382 | 0.05 |
| 2003 | 99 | #1,364 | 0.05 |
| 2002 | 93 | #1,405 | 0.05 |
| 2001 | 101 | #1,295 | 0.05 |
| 2000 | 113 | #1,195 | 0.06 |
| 1999 | 114 | #1,149 | 0.06 |
| 1998 | 109 | #1,145 | 0.06 |
| 1997 | 99 | #1,195 | 0.05 |
| 1996 | 105 | #1,126 | 0.06 |
| 1995 | 108 | #1,087 | 0.06 |
| 1994 | 90 | #1,208 | 0.05 |
| 1993 | 70 | #1,375 | 0.04 |
| 1992 | 87 | #1,193 | 0.04 |
| 1991 | 85 | #1,197 | 0.04 |
| 1990 | 85 | #1,177 | 0.04 |
| 1989 | 83 | #1,158 | 0.04 |
| 1988 | 82 | #1,097 | 0.04 |
| 1987 | 86 | #1,023 | 0.05 |
| 1986 | 78 | #1,054 | 0.04 |
| 1985 | 78 | #1,042 | 0.04 |
| 1984 | 66 | #1,111 | 0.04 |
| 1983 | 68 | #1,078 | 0.04 |
| 1982 | 60 | #1,194 | 0.03 |
| 1981 | 61 | #1,178 | 0.03 |
| 1980 | 55 | #1,240 | 0.03 |
| 1979 | 61 | #1,154 | 0.04 |
| 1978 | 43 | #1,412 | 0.03 |
| 1977 | 47 | #1,315 | 0.03 |
| 1976 | 61 | #1,068 | 0.04 |
| 1975 | 46 | #1,258 | 0.03 |
| 1974 | 44 | #1,273 | 0.03 |
| 1973 | 36 | #1,402 | 0.02 |
| 1972 | 51 | #1,139 | 0.03 |
| 1971 | 65 | #1,008 | 0.04 |
| 1970 | 62 | #1,031 | 0.03 |
| 1969 | 48 | #1,125 | 0.03 |
| 1968 | 56 | #986 | 0.03 |
| 1967 | 57 | #955 | 0.03 |
| 1966 | 60 | #939 | 0.03 |
| 1965 | 48 | #1,067 | 0.03 |
| 1964 | 61 | #973 | 0.03 |
| 1963 | 69 | #898 | 0.03 |
| 1962 | 70 | #907 | 0.03 |
| 1961 | 58 | #1,027 | 0.03 |
| 1960 | 63 | #952 | 0.03 |
| 1959 | 65 | #951 | 0.03 |
| 1958 | 71 | #892 | 0.03 |
| 1957 | 69 | #912 | 0.03 |
| 1956 | 50 | #1,071 | 0.02 |
| 1955 | 65 | #921 | 0.03 |
| 1954 | 60 | #951 | 0.03 |
| 1953 | 49 | #1,032 | 0.02 |
| 1952 | 54 | #969 | 0.03 |
| 1951 | 53 | #965 | 0.03 |
| 1950 | 57 | #904 | 0.03 |
| 1949 | 63 | #866 | 0.04 |
| 1948 | 58 | #903 | 0.03 |
| 1947 | 61 | #888 | 0.03 |
| 1946 | 63 | #827 | 0.04 |
| 1945 | 61 | #791 | 0.05 |
| 1944 | 70 | #741 | 0.05 |
| 1943 | 61 | #847 | 0.04 |
| 1942 | 70 | #770 | 0.05 |
| 1941 | 62 | #798 | 0.05 |
| 1940 | 58 | #818 | 0.05 |
| 1939 | 60 | #784 | 0.05 |
| 1938 | 55 | #835 | 0.05 |
| 1937 | 58 | #807 | 0.05 |
| 1936 | 65 | #748 | 0.06 |
| 1935 | 59 | #804 | 0.06 |
| 1934 | 52 | #870 | 0.05 |
| 1933 | 56 | #825 | 0.06 |
| 1932 | 57 | #843 | 0.05 |
| 1931 | 62 | #795 | 0.06 |
| 1930 | 77 | #711 | 0.07 |
| 1929 | 71 | #752 | 0.07 |
| 1928 | 78 | #723 | 0.07 |
| 1927 | 79 | #734 | 0.07 |
| 1926 | 87 | #679 | 0.08 |
| 1925 | 67 | #810 | 0.06 |
| 1924 | 71 | #801 | 0.06 |
| 1923 | 78 | #737 | 0.07 |
| 1922 | 79 | #742 | 0.07 |
| 1921 | 66 | #849 | 0.06 |
| 1920 | 94 | #653 | 0.09 |
| 1919 | 74 | #747 | 0.08 |
| 1918 | 76 | #736 | 0.07 |
| 1917 | 77 | #687 | 0.08 |
| 1916 | 77 | #677 | 0.09 |
| 1915 | 61 | #767 | 0.07 |
| 1914 | 58 | #668 | 0.09 |
| 1913 | 38 | #761 | 0.07 |
| 1912 | 40 | #670 | 0.09 |
| 1911 | 23 | #647 | 0.10 |
| 1910 | 18 | #711 | 0.09 |
| 1909 | 14 | #760 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 15 | #687 | 0.10 |
| 1907 | 10 | #874 | 0.07 |
| 1906 | 5 | #1,263 | 0.04 |
| 1905 | 13 | #670 | 0.10 |
| 1904 | 8 | #888 | 0.06 |
| 1903 | 7 | #918 | 0.06 |
| 1902 | 10 | #750 | 0.08 |
| 1901 | 15 | #509 | 0.14 |
| 1900 | 13 | #700 | 0.09 |
| 1899 | 6 | #946 | 0.06 |
| 1898 | 5 | #1,138 | 0.04 |
| 1897 | 6 | #948 | 0.05 |
| 1896 | 19 | #465 | 0.16 |
| 1895 | 11 | #640 | 0.09 |
| 1893 | 6 | #921 | 0.05 |
| 1892 | 9 | #756 | 0.07 |
| 1891 | 5 | #986 | 0.05 |
| 1890 | 14 | #513 | 0.13 |
| 1889 | 13 | #529 | 0.12 |
| 1888 | 9 | #708 | 0.07 |
| 1887 | 16 | #423 | 0.16 |
| 1886 | 9 | #652 | 0.08 |
| 1885 | 10 | #610 | 0.09 |
| 1884 | 18 | #435 | 0.16 |
| 1883 | 18 | #413 | 0.17 |
| 1882 | 11 | #578 | 0.10 |
| 1881 | 11 | #536 | 0.11 |
| 1880 | 10 | #605 | 0.09 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Benton a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Benton has been given almost only to boys: 6 girls in 145 years of records.
Girls and boys named Benton: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Benton, and how old are they?
7,430 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 71% of the 10,421 Americans ever recorded as Benton. The median Benton alive today is 22 years old; half are between 11 and 43.
The 2020 Census counted 6,548 people named Benton (63 women and girls, 6,485 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 6,938 born in the U.S. The Census count is 6% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 216 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 769 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 740 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 1,230 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,990 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 2,480 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Benton born?
The states with the most babies named Benton are Texas, Tennessee and Alabama, with 47% of its births recorded by state in 2025; Tennessee and Alabama are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 12 | #1,490 | 0.9× |
| Tennessee | 6 | #939 | 2.7× |
| Alabama | 6 | #690 | 0.7× |
| Kentucky | 6 | #637 | 0.7× |
| Washington | 6 | #916 | 0.3× |
| California | 5 | #2,523 | 0.3× |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | #1,257 | 0.2× |
| Oklahoma | 5 | #709 | 0.8× |
Where Benton is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Benton is most over-represented in Tennessee: since 1910 it was given 2.7 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Benton with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Benton
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Benton and names like it
- Compare Benton and SolomonBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sBenton peaked in 2016.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Benton since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Benton: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2016The year the most babies were named Benton.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Benton alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with BMost given first.