Benoney as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Benoney

What is the meaning of the name Benoney ?

The baby name Benoney is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced beh-NOH-nee /bəˈnoʊni/.

Benoney is Hebrew in Origin.

Benoney is an archaic English variant of the biblical Hebrew name Ben-oni (בֶּן־אוֹנִי), the name Rachel gave her son as she died in childbirth before Jacob renamed him Benjamin. Formed from ben “son” + ’oni, it is usually interpreted as “son of my sorrow” or “son of my affliction,” though some scholars note a secondary sense of ’oni as “strength” or “vigor,” yielding a rare reading “son of my strength.” The -ey ending reflects early English phonetic spelling.

The name appears in Early Modern English parish records and among 17th-century Puritans in England and New England, where scripture-derived names were favored. It surfaces in colonial American documents as Benoni, Ben-oni, Benony, and Benoney, with Benjamin later eclipsing it in popularity. Diminutives include Ben and Benny. Today Benoney is extremely rare, appealing to parents seeking an uncommon, antique biblical choice with poignant resonance.

⚙ Benoney does not appear in any of the birth registries or name datasets we track. This usually means it's either extremely rare, a regional/traditional name not captured by official statistics, or a brand-new coinage. Use it knowing your child will almost certainly be the only one in the room.