2000
#957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,441
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.40
Uncommon Last name
Benitez
Son of Benito, a Spanish diminutive of Benedict, meaning "blessed" or "well-spoken."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 59,872 Americans carry the last name Benitez. That puts it at #631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,725 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benitez 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 Benitez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
60K
1 in 5,725
Census rank
#631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
52K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 52,211 bearers of the surname Benitez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benitez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benitez
The surname Benitez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the Spanish given name Benito, which itself comes from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning "blessed." The name likely emerged in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain.
Benitez is a variant spelling of the more common Benítez, with the addition of the letter "z" at the end. This spelling variation is believed to have arisen due to regional linguistic differences within Spain. The earliest recorded instances of the name Benitez can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One notable historical figure with the surname Benitez was Juan Benitez, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Juan Benitez played a crucial role in establishing Spanish settlements in the newly conquered territories.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Domingo Benitez (1711-1786), a Spanish architect and military engineer who oversaw the construction of several fortifications and public works in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, including the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida.
In the 19th century, Manuel Benitez (1824-1893) was a Mexican lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Mexico during the presidency of Porfirio Díaz. He played a significant role in shaping Mexico's foreign policy during that era.
Remigio Benitez (1855-1917) was a Filipino lawyer and statesman who served as a member of the Revolutionary Government during the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century. He later held various positions in the newly established Philippine government.
Another notable figure was Joaquín Benitez (1896-1945), a Spanish writer and poet who was part of the Generation of '27, a prominent literary movement in Spain. His works explored themes of existentialism and metaphysics, and he is considered one of the most influential Spanish poets of the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benitez
Among Census respondents with the surname Benitez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Benitez 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 Benitez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.3% · 48,694
- White3.9% · 2,022
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 953
- Black or African American0.5% · 280
- Two or more races0.4% · 199
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 63
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benitez
Benitez 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
#666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,288
+17,847 bearers (+53.4%)
Per 100,000 17.39
Rank movement Up 291 places
2020
#631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,211
+923 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 17.47
Rank movement Up 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #957 | 33,441 | 12.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #666 | 51,288 | 17.39 | +17,847 bearers (+53.4%) | Up 291 places |
| 2020 | #631 | 52,211 | 17.47 | +923 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 35 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 Benitez 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 | #666 | #631 | 5.3% |
| Count | 51,288 | 52,211 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 17.39 | 17.47 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benitez bearers went from 51,288 to 52,211 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #666 to #631.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Benitez
FAQ
Benitez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benitez?
Name Census estimates that about 59,872 living Americans carry the surname Benitez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,725 residents.
How common is Benitez?
Benitez ranks #631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 52,211 people with the surname Benitez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (59,872), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Benitez.
Has Benitez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benitez went from 51,288 recorded bearers to 52,211. That is an increase of 923 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #666 to #631.
What does the Census say about the background of Benitez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benitez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Benitez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (48,694 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benitez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.3%), White (3.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Benitez (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 Benitez mean?
Son of Benito, a Spanish diminutive of Benedict, 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 Benitez (17.47 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 have the last name Benitez?
Want to know how many people have the last name Benitez? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.