Meaning: Its source is Binyamin, a Hebrew name meaning "Right-hand son."

Narrative: Some favor the meaning ''son of my later years,'' and others ''southern son.''

In the Jewish scriptures, Benjamin and the other sons of Jacob and Rachel each gave their names to one of the twelve tribes of Israel. After the Exodus from Egypt, the Benjamites gained a reputation for ferocity in the battles for the conquest of Canaan.

In French the name is also a common noun and means The youngest one.