Benony as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Benony

What is the meaning of the name Benony ?

The baby name Benony is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /beˈnoʊni/ (beh-NOH-nee).

Benony is Hebrew in Origin.

Benony is a rare biblical name derived from Hebrew Ben-oni (בן-אוני), the name Rachel gave her youngest son as she died in childbirth (Genesis 35:18). Composed of ben “son” + ’oni, it is usually interpreted “my sorrow/affliction,” though some scholars read ’on as “strength” or “vigor,” yielding “son of my strength.” Variant forms include Benoni, Ben-Oni, and Ben Oni; related names are Benjamin and the diminutives Ben and Benny.

In English-speaking records, Benony/Benoni appears sporadically from the 17th century - especially among Puritans and in colonial New England - sometimes bestowed after a difficult birth or maternal death. Jewish usage is scarce because Jacob renamed the child Benjamin (“son of the right hand”), which became the enduring form. Today Benony remains an antiquarian choice, occasionally encountered in Scandinavia through literary influence (e.g., Knut Hamsun’s Benoni), and as a distinctive alternative to Benjamin.