Benjamin surname meaning

Benjamin is a surname from the Hebrew male personal name Binyāmīn, traditionally “son of the south” or “son of the right hand”—linked ideas in a Hebrew orientation where south is the right when facing east. It was the name of Jacob’s youngest son and of a biblical tribe, later borne by Christian saints, so it entered Jewish (Sephardic and Ashkenazic), English, French, West Indian, and African naming. Medieval Europe also used benjamin as a byname for a youngest beloved son. Parent’s name is high confidence: the surname is built on a well-attested biblical given name rather than on a place or trade.