2000
#1,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,846
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.24
Uncommon Last name
Benedict
An English surname derived from the Latin name "Benedictus," meaning "blessed" or "well-spoken."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,610 Americans carry the last name Benedict. That puts it at #2,181 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,418 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benedict 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Benedict with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,418
Census rank
#2,181
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,229 bearers of the surname Benedict in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2181st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedict, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benedict
The surname Benedict is derived from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning "blessed". It originated in the Late Roman period and was initially a personal name given to males.
The name first appeared in Europe during the early medieval period, particularly in areas like Italy, France, and England where Latin-based names were common. It is believed that the name became a surname during the late 11th or early 12th century as hereditary surnames started to develop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Benedict can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several individuals with the name in various parts of England. Some of these entries include Benedictus de Buria in Suffolk and Benedictus de Asinton in Gloucestershire.
In the 12th century, the surname Benedict was also documented in France, where it was sometimes spelled as Beneit or Benoit. One notable bearer of the name during this period was the French poet and trouvère Benoît de Sainte-Maure, who lived around 1165-1173.
As the surname spread across Europe, it evolved into various regional spellings and forms, such as Benedikt in Germany, Benedetti in Italy, and Benedicto in Spain. One of the earliest recorded examples of the Italian form Benedetti is from a document dated 1279, which mentions a certain Jacobo Benedetti from Florence.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Benedict, including:
1. St. Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-547), the founder of the Benedictine monastic order and a patron saint of Europe.
2. Arnold Benedict (1615-1694), a German monk and theologian known for his work on church history.
3. Ruth Benedict (1887-1948), an American anthropologist and folklorist, known for her influential work on cultural relativism.
4. Dirk Benedict (born 1945), an American actor best known for his roles in the television series "Battlestar Galactica" and "The A-Team".
5. Michael Benedict (born 1948), a British actor and playwright, known for his work in theater and television.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benedict
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedict, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Benedict 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 Benedict surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 14,319
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 643
- Two or more races3.5% · 565
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 252
- Black or African American1.5% · 249
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 201
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benedict
Benedict 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
#2,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,036
+190 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 5.78
Rank movement Down 166 places
2020
#2,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,229
-807 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,964 | 16,846 | 6.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,130 | 17,036 | 5.78 | +190 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 166 places |
| 2020 | #2,181 | 16,229 | 5.43 | -807 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 51 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 Benedict 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 | #2,130 | #2,181 | -2.4% |
| Count | 17,036 | 16,229 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.78 | 5.43 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benedict bearers went from 17,036 to 16,229 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,130 to #2,181.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Benedict
FAQ
Benedict surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benedict?
Name Census estimates that about 18,610 living Americans carry the surname Benedict. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,418 residents.
How common is Benedict?
Benedict ranks #2,181 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,229 people with the surname Benedict. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Benedict.
Has Benedict become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benedict went from 17,036 recorded bearers to 16,229. That is a decrease of 807 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,130 to #2,181.
What does the Census say about the background of Benedict?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedict, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Benedict in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (14,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benedict appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Benedict (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 Benedict mean?
An English surname derived from the Latin name "Benedictus," meaning "blessed" or "well-spoken." 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 Benedict (5.43 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 Americans have the surname Benedict?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.