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Benny

Boy name · 37 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Benny: 37 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 11 births in 2024.

Benny is most often a friendly diminutive of Benjamin, from the Hebrew Binyamin meaning "son of the right hand" or "son of the south," though it can also stem from Benedict, the Latin for "blessed." The name carries a jaunty, musical legacy thanks to Benny Goodman, the legendary American jazz clarinetist known as the "King of Swing," and a comic one through British entertainer Benny Hill. While no major places are named directly after a Benny, the name shares the same root as the biblical region of Benjamin in ancient Israel. In Scotland, Benny has been a familiar standalone nickname for centuries, occasionally appearing on birth records as a given name rather than a shorten