What's in a Name? John Travolta's Son, Benjamin

USMagazine, Wednesday, November 24, 2010, 9:59am (PST)

Nameberry.com editors Pamela Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz -- who penned the books Baby Name Bible and Beyond Ava & Aiden -- are blogging for UsMagazine.com about why celebs choose the names they do, and what they mean.

Benjamin, which means "son of the right hand" in Hebrew, is the Biblical name chosen by John Travolta and Kelly Preston for their newborn son.

BLOG: Read more "What's in a Name?" columns

No. 20 on the U.S. most popular names list, Benjamin has been a Top 50 boys' name for nearly three decades and has always been one of the most widely-used Old Testament names. The Biblical Benjamin was the last son of Jacob and Rachel in the Book of Genesis. Some scholars interpret it as meaning "son of my pain."

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Benjamin Travolta's birth comes less than two years after his parents lost their oldest son Jett.

Big sister Ella Bleu, 10, was in the vanguard of celebrity babies named Ella, who include the children of Ben Stiller, Eric Clapton, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, and Mark Wahlberg. Her middle name Bleu, French for the color blue, helped launch a trend for color and word names in the middle place.

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Benjamin was chosen earlier this year by Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen after several days of indecision. One of those golden boys' names that feels strong and traditional as well as stylish, Benjamin has the further advantage of the friendly accessible nickname Ben.

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Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Spock provide positive role models for any baby Ben.

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