Abel vs Benjamin
Abel and Benjamincompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Abel was ranked #110 and Benjamin #48 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Abel was ranked #166 and Benjamin #61 among boys in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Abel was ranked #202 and Benjamin #76 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Abel was ranked #352 and Benjamin #78 among boys in Scotland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Abel was ranked #432 and Benjamin #83 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Abel and Benjamin over time
Abel and Benjamin appear together in 4 published lists, across 109 years of shared records. Benjamin held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Abel in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Benjamin reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Abel in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Longest-running competitions
Abel and Benjamin were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 43 years, from 1977 to 2025, ending at #110 and #48.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Abel #329 in 2022, Benjamin #50 in 2020.
List by list
Norway · Boys43 shared years, 1977–2025
Abel held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Benjamin in 43.
Highest recorded here: Abel #82 in 2021, Benjamin #13 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Abel #110, Benjamin #48.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Abel held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Benjamin in 29.
Highest recorded here: Abel #153 in 2023, Benjamin #6 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Abel #166, Benjamin #61.
Republic of Ireland · Boys22 shared years, 2001–2025
Abel held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Benjamin in 22.
Highest recorded here: Abel #329 in 2022, Benjamin #50 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Abel #432, Benjamin #83.
Northern Ireland · Boys15 shared years, 2007–2024
Abel held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Benjamin in 15.
Highest recorded here: Abel #147 in 2022, Benjamin #49 in 2009.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Abel #202, Benjamin #76.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Abel | Benjamin |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Commonly interpreted as 'son of the right hand', with the underlying literal sense being 'son of the south' (since 'right' indicated the southerly direction in the biblical east-facing orientation convention). |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛndʒəmɪn/ | |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #110 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #46 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Benjamin has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew); Abel does not have one recorded yet.
- Abel has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Benjamin.
- A meaning is recorded for Benjamin; Abel doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Abel
Popularity journey
First recorded1977
First recorded at #581 among boys in Norway in 1977 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1977–2025
Highest recorded position: #82 among boys in Norway, in 2021 (recorded 1977–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #110 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Benjamin
Popularity journey
First recorded1950
First recorded at #345 among boys in Norway in 1950 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1970–2023
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New Zealand, in 2003 (recorded 1970–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #46 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys