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Ben

Boy name · 6,784 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Ben: 6,784 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 461 births in 2004.

Ben is a familiar short form of Benjamin, a name of Hebrew origin meaning "son of the right hand" or "son of the south." One of its most famous bearers is the American statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin, whose legacy extends to the Franklin Institute and countless landmarks. In Scotland, the name has been popular for decades, partly due to the actor Ewan McGregor's son, also named Ben. The name also shares its root with the place-name Benjamin, though no major Scottish town is directly named for it. A notable variant is the Gaelic form, Beinn, which is unrelated but phonetically similar; Benny and Benji are common affectionate shortenings, while the name has a strong, straightforward charm that has kept it a steady choice since the 1970s.