Benjamin

בִּנְיָמִין

• Gender: Male
• Origin: Biblical English
• Meaning: son of the right hand / son of the south

• Benjamin holds a tender place in the Torah as Jacob's youngest and most beloved son, the child of his old age whose very name, "son of the right hand," suggests a position of honor and closeness. It is a name that has traveled seamlessly from ancient scripture into the modern world, feeling as natural in a contemporary nursery as it does on the pages of Genesis.

  When Andy Cohen named his son Benjamin Allen Cohen after his grandfather, he proved this name still hits just right — timeless without being stuffy, serious without being heavy. It shortens effortlessly to Ben or Benji when they are small and stretches to its full three syllables for the graduation program. With deep biblical roots and an easy warmth that works across every context, Benjamin is the rare name that genuinely has no wrong era.

• Hebrew Equivalent:
  Binyamin
• Potential Sibling Name:
  Rachel
  ,
  Rebecca
  ,
  Daniel
  ,
  Joshua
• Theme: family