Benjamin (name)

This article is about people with the name Benjamin. For history and origin, see Benjamin. For other uses, see Benjamin (disambiguation).
Benjamin
Gender Male
Origin
Meaning Son of my right hand
Other names
Nickname(s) Ben, Benny, Benjy, Benji, Benjie, Bengie, Benson, Benvolio

Benjamin is a popular given name for males, derived from Hebrew בִּנְיָמִין, Binyāmīn, translating as "son of my right [hand]", though in the Samaritan Pentateuch, the name appears as ࠁࠍࠉࠌࠉࠌ, "Binyaamem" 'Son of my days'. It is often shortened to Ben, and sometimes to Benny, or Benjy. 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; sometimes the name is chosen for a son born to mature parents unlikely to have more children, especially if he has several older siblings. Both of these usages derive from the biblical son of Jacob of that name, who occupied that position in his family.

Given name

People with the name Benjamin or its variant spellings include:

Surname

Benjamin
Family name
Meaning Son of my right hand

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.