Benjamin, as a middle name, for a boy

[LetThemEatCake]

opinions?

does the name have any negative connotations I should know about?

I love it - it is ds3's middle name

it is my brothers middle name (he is 37) and hes always been happy with it.....

Can I ask why you're asking? It's a lovely name.

um, just asking because I'm considering it as a middle name for this baby if it's a boy (don't know and won't know)

I had some vague idea that it had some biblical association with being the youngest of the family?? which would be quite appropriate as dh seems quite determined that there will be no more babies after this one!!

it is my DS's middle name

It is a lovely name IMO

It's OK but I prefer just Ben.

We named our youngest Benjamin for his first name, which in my future DH's family is like a middle name as they all go by their Middle names.
It means 'son of the right hand' in Hebrew and is a very biblical name. One of the reasons we chose it was because he was delivered by Dad in the car, ergo the son of the right hand.

I love it, it's my Ds's first name. Only problem we have had is when his teaching assistant calls him 'Benny'. Blardy annoying!!

So sorry - my post from last night seemed a bit rude - you must have thought I was quite bonkers!

I meant to ask whether you had heard of any negative connotations and that's why you were concerned.

I think it is a great name.

Tis an outstandingly wonderful name. Benjamin is the youngest brother in Joseph & his funky Technicolour Dreamcoat

Nice.

So... what do we think of Zephaniah Benjamin

good choice

good choice

Zephaniah Benjamin - NOOOOOO! I will be forced to call child services!!!!! [kidding]

I don't know how anyone could raise any objections to Benjamin really.

Zephaniah Benjamin sounds a bit I dunno ambitious maybe to me. I have never come across anyone called Zephaniah before. Is it a family name for one of you then?

ZZZen - by ambitious ... do you mean aspirational? trying too hard? How do you mean?

I mean I know it's from the Bible and so on but I just have never come across anyone with that name IYSWIM so it sounds very unusual and quite impressive to my ears. No, I don't think it sounds contrived or like someone showing off. Don't really know what I mean, as if it is somehow too BIG a name to live up to.

Benjamin Zephaniah is a poet.

I know a bizarre fact about him which I learnt from a documentary about infertility but that is not particularly relevant. It's just whenever DH or I hear the name we always quote the bizarre fact to each other.

yes I know but I have never met anyone with the first name Zephaniah. It does not mean the world is not full of them, just personally I have not encountered them. I don't think it sounds bad at all but I probably wouldn't choose it myself

yes I know but I have never met anyone with the first name Zephaniah. This doesn't mean much because I may move in very staid circles. I don't think it sounds bad at all, just probably wouldn't choose it myself

argh!

yes, Benjamin Zephaniah is just one reason why we like the name in reverse!!!

what's the bizarre fact?

ZZZen - my children all have quite big first names really, very ordinary 2nd names

shortened to Zeph (which is inevitable) it's not quite so grand though, is it?

I'm glad you posted because I didn't dare post 4 x in a row. Looks too needy.

Come on now, we like bizarre gossip on MN, spill the beans - what is it?!

The more I roll it round my tongue, the more I like Zephaniah you know

He has no sperm. When he was undergoing tests for infertility he said people with low sperm counts have a few hundred thousand or even 10s of thousands but the doctors couldn't find one in his sample.

I'm not recounting this to be mean, he was genuinely amazed and saddened at the fact and as a viewer you got drawn in too. In a 'wow' way.