The Benson surname was first used by Louis Benson who emigrated to the US from Uman, Russia in He chose the name because his father's name was Benjamin. Calling himself Benson (or the son of Ben) was a logical choice for an American name. The family Russian name as Dashevsky. I'm not sure what the exact Ruissian spelling was. His papers record the name as Dashowsky.
also found on the internet
• Egbert Benson ‧ 1746-1833 ‧ first Attorney General state of New York ‧ first president New-York Historical Society ‧ nephew of Elisabeth Benson Rutgers, represented her in court against Alexander Hamilton ‧ painting by Gilbert Stuart in the 1820s ‧ related to van DUSEN~van DEURZEN-etc. ‧ see also http://www.geni.com/projects/van-DEURZEN-❧-family-%E2%80%A7-genealogy •