Bennie is an affectionate form of Benjamin, the Hebrew name that means "son of the right hand" or "son of the south", and it has also served as a pet form of Bernard and Benedict. It was a popular given name in its own right in the American South in the early 20th century, and Elton John's Bennie and the Jets kept it in the air. Bennie stood at number 1613 in 2000, its best rank in this period, and is number 2519 among boys' names in 2025.