Benedek
A masculine Hungarian name derived from the Latin "benedictus" meaning blessed.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Benedek. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Benedek today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Benedek births was 2003 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Benedek. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Benedek with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Benedek. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2003
5 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2003 SSA rank
#11,067
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Benedek: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Benedek by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Benedek during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Benedek
The name Benedek has its origins in the Hungarian language and culture. It is a masculine given name that traces its roots back to the Latin name Benedictus, which means "blessed." The name Benedictus was derived from the Latin phrase "bene dictus," meaning "well spoken" or "well said."
In the 6th century, the name Benedictus gained prominence through Saint Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine monastic order and the author of the Benedictine Rule, a set of precepts for monastic living. Saint Benedict, who lived from around 480 to 547 AD, played a significant role in the spread of Christianity and the establishment of monasteries throughout Europe.
The Hungarian form of the name, Benedek, emerged as a result of the influence of Latin and the adoption of Christianity in the region. It is believed to have been introduced to Hungary during the 11th century, following the conversion of the country to Christianity in the year 1000 AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Benedek in Hungary can be found in the Árpád dynasty, which ruled the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 9th century to the early 14th century. Prince Benedek of Hungary, a member of the Árpád dynasty, lived in the 11th century and was a prominent figure in the region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Benedek. These include:
1. Benedek Virág (1754-1830), a Hungarian poet and teacher who was a prominent figure in the Hungarian Enlightenment.
2. Benedek Egressy (1814-1851), a Hungarian composer and singer who made significant contributions to the development of Hungarian opera.
3. Benedek Széchenyi (1836-1918), a Hungarian politician and nobleman who served as the Minister of Agriculture in the late 19th century.
4. Benedek Kállay (1839-1903), a Hungarian statesman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Hungary from 1902 to 1903.
5. Benedek Flittner (1859-1932), a Hungarian architect and academic who designed several notable buildings in Budapest.
While the name Benedek has its roots in Latin and Christianity, it has become firmly established in Hungarian culture and has been borne by many prominent figures throughout the country's history.
People
Benedek + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Benedek as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Benedek: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benedek?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Benedek going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Benedek a common name?
We classify Benedek as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Benedek most popular?
The single biggest year for Benedek was 2003, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Benedek is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Benedek in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Benedek a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Benedek in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Benedek still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Benedek in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Benedek can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Benedek as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.