Ben

Ben
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Semitic languages
Meaning	"Son of"
Region of origin	Middle East
Other names
Related names	Benjamin, Benedict, Bengt, Bennett, Benoit, Benvolio, Benito, Benson, Ebenezer

Last updated November 01, 2026

Ben is a masculine given name. It is often short for Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett, Benson, and Ebenezer.

Ben meaning "son of" is also found in Arabic as Ben or bin (بن) (dialectal Arabic) and in Hebrew (Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha). During the past periods of classical Arabic, Ibn/ebn (ابن) was used in Arabic names exclusively while ben appeared only in Jewish names.^{[ citation needed ]}

Ben (賁/便嗯) is a Chinese surname.

People with the given name

Ben Adams (born 1981), member of the British boy band A1
Ben Affleck (born 1972), American Academy Award-winning actor and screenwriter
Ben Ashkenazy (born 1968/69), American billionaire real estate developer
Ben Askren (born 1984), American sport wrestler and mixed martial artist
Ben Axtman (born 1933), American politician
Ben Bailey (born 1970), American comedian and game show host
Ben Banogu (born 1996), American football player
Ben Barba (born 1989), Australian rugby player
Ben Barnes (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Bartch (born 1998), American football player
Ben Bartlett (1965–2026), British composer
Ben Becker (born 1964), German actor
Ben Bentil (born 1995), Ghanaian basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ben Bernanke (born 1953), American chair of the Federal Reserve Bank
Ben Bishop (born 1986), American ice hockey player
Ben Bradlee (1921–2014), American newspaper editor
Ben Braun (born 1953), American basketball coach
Ben Bredeson (born 1999), American football player
Ben Browder (born 1962), American actor
Ben Burman (1896–1984), American author
Ben Burr-Kirven (born 1997), American football player
Ben Cardin (born 1943), American lawyer and former politician
Ben Carson (born 1951), American surgeon and politician
Ben Carter (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Chase (1923–1998), American football player
Ben Chilwell (born 1996), English footballer
Ben Chiu (born 1970), Taiwanese-American and Canadian computer programmer
Ben Chiu (Hong Kong singer) (born 1997), Hong Kong dancer
Ben Chukwuma (born 2001), Nigerian-American football player
Ben Cleveland (born 1998), American football player
Ben Clime (1891–1973), American football player
Ben Cohen (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Coleman (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Collins, American screenwriter
Ben Cousins (born 1978), Australian rules footballer
Ben Crenshaw (born 1952), American golfer
Ben Crompton (born 1974), English actor
Ben Cross (1947–2020), English actor
Ben Curtis (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Cutting (born 1987), Australian cricketer
Ben Daley (born 1988), Australian rugby player
Ben Davis (born 2000), Thai footballer
Ben DiNucci (born 1996), American football player
Ben Domenech (born 1982), American news commentator, publisher of The Federalist
Ben Eager (born 1984), Canadian ice hockey player
Ben Edwards (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Eisenhardt (born 1990), American-Israeli basketball player
Ben Ellefson (born 1996), American football player
Ben Fayot (born 1937), Luxembourgish politician
Ben Feldman (born 1980), American actor
Ben Ferencz (1920–2023), American lawyer
Ben Fergusson (born 1980), British writer
Ben Folami (born 1999), Australian footballer
Ben Ford (chef) (born 1966), American chef
Ben Folds (born 1966), American singer-songwriter
Ben Fordham (born 1976), Australian journalist, sports reporter and radio presenter
Ben Franklin (1706–1790), Prominent figure in the American Revolution
Ben Garland (born 1988), American football player
Ben Gedeon (born 1994), American football player
Ben Gibbard (born 1976), American lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie
Ben Gibson (born 1993), English footballer
Ben Gillies (born 1979), Australian drummer of Silverchair
Ben Godfrey (born 1998), English footballer
Ben Goldsmith (musician), American singer-songwriter
Ben Gordon (born 1983), British-born American basketball player
Ben Gottschalk (born 1992), American football player
Ben Guez (born 1987), American baseball player
Ben Hannant (born 1984), Australian rugby player
Ben Hardy (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Harper (born 1969), American musician
Ben Harrison (1833-1901), 23rd U.S. President
Ben Harvey (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Herbert (born 1979), American football coach and former player
Ben Hogan (1912–1997), American golfer
Ben Helfgott (1929–2023), Polish-born British weightlifter
Ben Howard (born 1987), British singer/songwriter
Ben Hunt (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Jackson (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Jeby (1909–1985), American boxer
Ben Jelen (born 1979), American singer
Ben Johns (born 1999), American professional pickleball player
Ben Johnson (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Jonson (1572–1637), English poet
Ben Kane (born 1970), English novelist
Ben Kasica, American musician, lead guitarist for Skillet
Ben Keays (born 1997), Australian rules footballer
Ben E. King (1938–2015), American soul and R&B singer
Ben Kingsley (born 1943), British actor
Ben Kinsella (1991–2008), British murder victim
Ben Knapen (born 1951), Dutch politician and journalist
Ben Kramer (1913–1999), American basketball player
Ben Kudrna (born 2003), American baseball player
Ben Kweller (born 1981), American rock musician
Ben Labrosse (born 1999), Canadian football player
Ben Lane (born 1997), English badminton player
Ben Laughlin, American ten-pin bowler
Ben Lawson (born 1980), Australian actor
Ben Leber (born 1978), American football player
Ben Lord, American drummer
Ben Lowe (born 1985), Australian rugby player
Ben Lundgaard (born 1995), American soccer player
Ben Mann (born 2002), American football player
Ben Mason (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Mendelsohn (born 1969), Australian actor
Ben Miller (born 1966), English actor and comedian
Ben Moody (born 1981), American musician
Ben Moore (born 1995), American basketball player
Ben Roy Mottelson (1926–2022), Danish American physicist
Ben Mulroney (born 1976), Canadian television personality
Ben Murdoch-Masila (born 1991), New Zealand rugby player
Ben Navarro (born 1962/1963), American billionaire, founder and CEO of Sherman Financial Group
Ben Needham (1989–1991), British infant who disappeared in Greece
Ben Needham (American football), American football linebacker
Ben Nicholson (1894–1982), English artist
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (1933–2025), American and Northern Cheyenne politician and rancher
Ben Niemann (born 1995), American football player
Ben Ownby, American kidnap victim
Ben J. Pierce (born 1999), American YouTuber, singer-songwriter, and actor
Ben Platt (born 1993), American actor and singer-songwriter
Ben Plucknett (1954–2002), American discus thrower
Ben Powers (American football) (born 1997), American football player
Ben Ray Luján (born 1972), American politician
Ben Richards (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Roethlisberger (born 1982), American football player
Ben Sahar (born 1989), Israeli footballer
Ben Saraf (born 2006), Israeli basketball player
Ben Sasse (born 1972), American academic administrator and politician
Ben Sauls (born 2001), American football player
Ben Schwartz (born 1981), American actor
Ben Selvin (1898–1980), American jazz musician and bandleader
Ben Shneiderman (born 1947), American computer scientist
Ben Shapiro (born 1984), American conservative political commentator
Ben Sheets (born 1978), American baseball player
Ben Silverman (golfer) (born 1987), Canadian golfer
Ben Simm (disambiguation), multiple people, including Sim, Sims, Simms
Ben Simmons (born 1996), Australian basketball player
Ben Sinnott (born 2002), American football player
Ben Skowronek (born 1997), American football player
Ben Smith (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben T H So (born 1990), apprentice horse racing jockey
Ben Spijkers (born 1961), Dutch judoka
Ben Stein (born 1944), American law professor, economist, writer and actor
Ben Stiller (born 1965), American actor, writer and director
Ben Stokes (born 1991), English cricketer born in New Zealand
Ben Swagerman (born 1959), Dutch politician
Ben Talley (born 1972), American football player
Ben Templeton (born 1940), American co-creator of the comic strip Motley's Crew
Ben Te'o (born 1987), New Zealand rugby player
Ben Thatcher (born 1975), English footballer
Ben Tulfo (born 1955), Filipino television and radio personality
Ben Underwood (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Unwin (1977–2019), Australian actor
Ben Vautier (1935–2024), French artist
Ben Verweij (1895–1951), Dutch footballer
Ben Wallace (born 1974), American basketball player
Ben Wanger (born 1997), American-Israeli baseball pitcher, Team Israel
Ben Way (born 1980), English entrepreneur
Ben Whishaw (born 1980), English actor
Ben Whitehead (born 1977), English actor and voice actor
Ben Wiegers, Dutch curling coach
Ben Wildman-Tobriner (born 1984), American swimmer
Ben Willbond (born 1973), British actor
Ben Wilson (disambiguation), multiple people
Ben Woodburn (born 1999), Welsh footballer
Ben Wooldridge (born 1999), American football player
Ben Yurosek (born 2002), American football player
Ben (South Korean singer) (born 1991), South Korean singer

Fictional characters

Ben, a character in the 2019 Canadian horror comic series Witch Creek Road
Ben, a character in the 2007 Canadian-American television series Sushi Pack
Ben, a character in the 2009 American romantic comedy-drama movie He's Just Not That Into You
Ben, minor character of The Grudge 3
Ben, Bill's twin brother in The Railway Series and the spinoff TV series Thomas and Friends
Ben, a rat in the novel Ratman's Notebooks , films Willard and Ben , and theme song sung by Michael Jackson on his LP Ben
Ben, or Benny, the "1980-something space guy" from The Lego Movie
🅱️en, or Pen, a character from the first season of Battle for Dream Island, an animated web series. Pen revealed that his legal name is 🅱️en in BFB 5.
Old Ben, a bear at the center of the William Faulkner story The Bear
Gentle Ben, a bear featured in an eponymous 1965 novel, and in television and movie adaptations
Talking Ben, a brown dog and a protagonist of the Talking Tom & Friends media franchise
Ben Bigger, a playable character from the video game Zenless Zone Zero
Ben Cartwright, character from western TV series Bonanza
Ben Elf, the titular protagonist in the British cartoon Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom
Benjamin Florian/Ben, a protagonist of the Descendants franchise (2015–2019)
Ben C. L. / Soldier Boy, major character in the third season of The Boys
Ben Geller-Willick-Bunch, the son of Ross Geller and Carol and Susan in NBC sitcom Friends
Ben Grimm, also known as the Thing, from Marvel Comics
Ben Gunn, from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island
Ben Hammil (Match), a mutant in the Marvel Universe
Ben Hargreeves, main character in the comic book/Netflix series The Umbrella Academy
Ben Harper, major character in the comedy series My Family
Ben Kenobi, an alias of Obi-Wan Kenobi, major character in the film saga, Star Wars
Ben Lawman/BEN, an antagonist of the Ben Drowned series (2010–20)
Ben Nooper, a coastguard and supporting character in the animated series Fireman Sam
Ben Packer, one of the five main protagonists in Bureau of Alien Detectors
Ben Parker, the uncle of Peter Parker (Spider-Man) from Marvel Comics
Ben Richards, main character of The Running Man
Ben Ripley, a major protagonist of the young-adult series, Spy School
Ben Skywalker, a major character in the Star Wars expanded universe
Ben Solo, major character in the Star Wars sequel trilogy
Ben Stone, a father in the TV series Manifest
Ben Taylor, from Postman Pat
Ben Tennyson, protagonist of the Cartoon Network's Ben 10 media franchise
Ben Urich, investigative journalist for The Daily Bugle in the Marvel Universe
Ben Wyatt, character from Parks and Recreation
Ben Wheeler, the lead character of the American sitcom Baby Daddy

Ben

Contents

People with the given name

Fictional characters

See also