2000
#332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 84,233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 31.22
Uncommon Last name
Benson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name "Benedict," meaning "blessed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 94,842 Americans carry the last name Benson. That puts it at #378 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 27.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,614 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benson 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 Benson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
95K
1 in 3,614
Census rank
#378
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
27.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
83K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 82,707 bearers of the surname Benson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 27.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 378th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benson
The surname Benson has its origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It is an English patronymic name, derived from the personal name Ben or Benedict, which means "blessed". The name is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Northumberland, during the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Benson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bensone". This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England at the time.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Benson began to appear in various historical records and manuscripts, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and the Hundred Rolls of Northumberland. These records often referred to individuals with the surname Benson as landowners or tenants in their respective regions.
The earliest known bearer of the name Benson was Robert Benson, who lived in Yorkshire during the reign of King Henry II (1154-1189). Another notable figure was Sir John Benson (c. 1350-1428), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Northumberland during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Benson family gained prominence in the city of Leeds, where they were influential merchants and civic leaders. One of the most famous members of this family was Sir Robert Benson (1675-1731), who served as Lord Mayor of York and was instrumental in the establishment of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society.
Other notable individuals with the surname Benson include Edward White Benson (1829-1896), who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 to 1896, and Edward Frederic Benson (1867-1940), a renowned English novelist and biographer who wrote several popular works, including the Mapp and Lucia series.
The name Benson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Benson in Oxfordshire and Bensonhurst in Yorkshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
In summary, the surname Benson has a rich history rooted in the Anglo-Saxon heritage of northern England. It has been borne by notable figures throughout the centuries, from landowners and politicians to religious leaders and literary figures. The name's origins can be traced back to the early medieval period and have been documented in historical records spanning over a millennium.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benson
Among Census respondents with the surname Benson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Benson 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 Benson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 62,074
- Black or African American15.9% · 13,180
- Two or more races3.9% · 3,252
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,889
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 773
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 539
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benson
Benson 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
#365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,081
+1,848 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 29.18
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 82,707
-3,374 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 27.67
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #332 | 84,233 | 31.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #365 | 86,081 | 29.18 | +1,848 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #378 | 82,707 | 27.67 | -3,374 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 13 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 Benson 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 | #365 | #378 | -3.6% |
| Count | 86,081 | 82,707 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 29.18 | 27.67 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benson bearers went from 86,081 to 82,707 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #365 to #378.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Benson
FAQ
Benson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benson?
Name Census estimates that about 94,842 living Americans carry the surname Benson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,614 residents.
How common is Benson?
Benson ranks #378 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 27.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 28 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 82,707 people with the surname Benson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (94,842), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 27.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 27.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 28 of them to have the surname Benson.
Has Benson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benson went from 86,081 recorded bearers to 82,707. That is a decrease of 3,374 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #365 to #378.
What does the Census say about the background of Benson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benson, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Benson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (62,074 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), Black (15.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Benson (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 Benson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name "Benedict," meaning "blessed." 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 Benson (27.67 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 Benson?
See how many people have the surname Benson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.