Benjamin
\bɛ̃.ʒa.mɛ̃\♂French boy's name
A French boy's name of Latin origin, first recorded around 1100-50.
At a glance
| Gender | Masculine |
|---|---|
| Origin | Latin |
| First recorded | 1100-50 |
| Pronunciation | \bɛ̃.ʒa.mɛ̃\ |
Origin and meaning
From Late Latin Benjamin, from Ancient Greek Βενιαμίν (Beniamín), from Biblical Hebrew בִּנְיָמִין (binyamīn, literally “son of the right/south or son of days”). Authorities differ on the meaning of the original Hebrew. Philo of Alexandria, the Samaritan Pentateuch The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs and Midrash Leḳaḥ-Ṭob understand יָמִין to mean "days" (a meaning attested in Daniel 12:13) understanding the name to mean "son of days (i.e. old age)" (compare to the direct translations into Arabic بِنْ يَومِين (bin yawmīn) "son of the days" and Arabic بِنْ يَمِين (bin yamīn) "son of the right hand"), a formula paraphrased in Genesis 40:22 where Benjamin is described as a child of Jacob's o
Where it is mostly given
- Great Britain
- Ireland
- United States
- Malta
- France
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- East Frisia
- Germany
- Austria
Around the world
- Arabicبنيامين
- SpanishBenjamín
- GreekΒενιαμίν
- Hebrewבנימין
- ItalianBeniamino
- Japaneseベンジャミン
- PolishBeniamin
- RussianБенжамен, Бенджамин, Вениамин
- CzechBenjamín
Source: Wiktionnaire (CC BY-SA 4.0). Recording: Lepticed7 (France (Toulouse)), Lingua Libre / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).