2000
#94,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Benatar
A surname of Italian/Spanish origin meaning "good nature" or "good hearted."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 225 Americans carry the last name Benatar. That puts it at #98,894 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,523,353 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benatar surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
225
1 in 1,523,353
Census rank
#98,894
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
196
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 196 bearers of the surname Benatar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 98894th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benatar, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benatar
The surname Benatar has its origins in Spain, emerging in the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "benatar," which means "pleasant place" or "fertile land." The name likely originated in the regions of Andalusia or Murcia, where Arabic influence on language and culture was significant during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.
Some historians suggest that the name Benatar may have been adopted by Sephardic Jews who lived in Spain before the Inquisition and subsequent expulsion in the late 15th century. The name's possible Arabic roots could indicate that it was initially used by Jews who had assimilated into the Moorish culture or had converted to Islam during that period.
The earliest recorded instances of the Benatar surname can be found in historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is a merchant named Isaac Benatar, who is mentioned in a trade record from the city of Seville in 1295. Another early reference is in a land deed from the town of Murcia, dated 1367, which lists a landowner named Yusuf Benatar.
As the Sephardic Jews faced persecution and expulsion from Spain in the late 15th century, many families bearing the Benatar name dispersed across the Mediterranean region, settling in places like Morocco, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire. Some may have eventually made their way to the Netherlands and other parts of Northern Europe as well.
In more recent history, several notable individuals have carried the Benatar surname. One example is the American singer-songwriter Pat Benatar, born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski in 1953. Her stage name was inspired by her husband's surname, which she adopted professionally. Another notable figure is the Israeli scholar and author Avraham Benatar, who lived from 1887 to 1979 and wrote extensively on Jewish history and culture.
Other notable bearers of the Benatar name include the British artist and illustrator David Benatar (1911-1988), the Mexican writer and journalist Carlos Benatar (1915-1998), and the Spanish philosopher and academic José Benatar (born 1935).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benatar
Among Census respondents with the surname Benatar, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Benatar bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Benatar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino17.3% · 34
- Two or more races3.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benatar
Benatar appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#87,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 212
+33 bearers (+18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 7,013 places
2020
#98,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 196
-16 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 11,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #94,676 | 179 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,663 | 212 | 0.07 | +33 bearers (+18.4%) | Up 7,013 places |
| 2020 | #98,894 | 196 | 0.07 | -16 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 11,231 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Benatar surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #87,663 | #98,894 | -12.8% |
| Count | 212 | 196 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benatar bearers went from 212 to 196 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 11,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,663 to #98,894.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Benatar
FAQ
Benatar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benatar?
Name Census estimates that about 225 living Americans carry the surname Benatar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,523,353 residents.
How common is Benatar?
Benatar ranks #98,894 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 196 people with the surname Benatar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (225), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Benatar.
Has Benatar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benatar went from 212 recorded bearers to 196. That is a decrease of 16 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #87,663 to #98,894.
What does the Census say about the background of Benatar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benatar, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.3%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Benatar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (153 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benatar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Hispanic (17.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Benatar (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Benatar mean?
A surname of Italian/Spanish origin meaning "good nature" or "good hearted." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Benatar (0.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Benatar?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Benatar is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.