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Benjamin History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Benjamin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The Benjamin family can find its origins within the landscape of Medieval France, particularly in that coastal region once known as Normandy. Their name is derived from the given name Binyamin, which means the son of the south, comes from The Bible, which tells that Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob and the father of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Early Origins of the Benjamin family

The surname Benjamin was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy.

Early History of the Benjamin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Benjamin research. Another 31 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1696, 1701, 1711, 1723, 1735, 1773, 1850 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Benjamin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Benjamin Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames; in part, as spelling, and the spelling names was not yet standardized during the early development of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to region. Variations of the name Benjamin include Benjamin, Jamin, Jamine, Jaminet, Jamet, Jammet, Jammes, Jamme, Jameton, Jamot and many more.

Early Notables of the Benjamin family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Henri-Marie Benjamin, born in Nogent-sur-Seine in 1850, was a veterinarian...
René Benjamin, born in Paris in 1885, an intellectual, was grandson of an engraver and son of a prominent businessman...

Benjamin World Ranking

In the United States, the name Benjamin is the 840^th most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Benjamin is ranked the 4,175^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2 And in South Africa, the name Benjamin is the 641^st popular surname with an estimated 10,804 people with that name. 3

Benjamin migration to the United States +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Benjamin surname were

Benjamin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Abigail Benjamin, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon", bound for Watertown 4
Richard Benjamin, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon", bound for Watertown 4
John Benjamin, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon", bound for Watertown 4
Richard Benjamin, who landed in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1640 4
Mr Benjamin, who arrived in Virginia in 1649 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benjamin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean Benjamin married in 1711

Benjamin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Benjamin, who landed in Mobile Ala in 1821 4
Philip Benjamin, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1826 4
J K Benjamin, who landed in Arkansas in 1844 4
F A Benjamin, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
Miss Benjamin, (b. 1832), aged 18, Virgin Islander settler traveling from Barbados aboard the ship "Fairmount" arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1850 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benjamin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Frank Benjamin, who arrived in Mississippi in 1905 4

Benjamin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Benjamin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Théotiste Benjamin married in Saint-Hyacinthe in 1827
Evan Benjamin, who arrived in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862

Benjamin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Benjamin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

White Benjamin, aged 19, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Tantivy"
Benjamin Benjamin served as mayor of the city of Melbourne and was knighted in 1889

Benjamin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Benjamin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Abraham Benjamin, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1870

Contemporary Notables of the name Benjamin (post 1700) +

Casey Benjamin (1978-2024), American Grammy Award winning saxophonist (alto and soprano), vocoderist, keyboardist, producer, and songwriter
Richard Benjamin (1938-1969), American actor and film director, best known for his role in Goodbye, Columbus (1969)
Ann Womer Benjamin, American politician, Mayor of Aurora, Ohio
Thomas Benjamin (b. 1940), American composer of "Chesapeake Suite" (1992)
Alfred Stanley "Stan" Benjamin (1914-2009), American Major League Baseball player
Shelton Benjamin (b. 1975), American wrestler
Rick Benjamin (b. 1952), American announcer for Speed Channel
Rick Benjamin, American musician, founder and conductor of PAragon Ragtime Orchestra
Vice Admiral Regina Benjamin (b. 1956), 18th Surgeon General of the United States
Joel Benjamin (b. 1964), American chess grandmaster
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Benjamin family +

Flight TWA 800

Mrs. Joan Benjamin (d. 1996), from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA, American architect flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 6
Mr. Arthur Benjamin (d. 1996), from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA, American high school teacher flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash 6

RMS Lusitania

Miss Queenie Benjamin, English 3rd Class passenger returning from Newark, Nottinghamshire, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 7

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. John Henry Benjamin (b. 1893), Welsh coal miner from Abertridwr, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Barbados archives retrieved 2nd November 2021 from https://attheBarbadosarchives.wordpress.com/2003/07/18/Barbados-heritage-passenger-lists-and-Barbados-departures/
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/