Benedicto
Masculine name of Latin origin meaning "blessed one".
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the first name Benedicto. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Benedicto today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Benedicto births was 1963 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Benedicto. 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.
People living today
164
~ 1 in 2,089,965 Americans
Peak year
1963
9 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2022 SSA rank
#9,958
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Benedicto: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Benedicto from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 45 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Benedicto 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 Benedicto during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Benedictos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Benedicto
The name Benedicto has its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient Rome and the early days of Christianity. The name is derived from the Latin words "bene" meaning "well" and "dictus" meaning "spoken." Combined, these words form the meaning "well spoken" or "blessed."
One of the earliest and most notable historical figures associated with this name is Saint Benedict of Nursia, a Christian monk who lived in the 6th century. He is considered the founder of Western monasticism and the author of the Benedictine Rule, which became the guiding principles for monastic life in the Catholic Church. Born around 480 AD in Nursia, Italy, Saint Benedict played a significant role in the spread of Christianity throughout Europe.
The name Benedicto also has a strong connection to the papacy in the Catholic Church. Several popes have borne this name, including Pope Benedict V (964-965 AD), Pope Benedict VIII (1012-1024 AD), and Pope Benedict XIII (1724-1730 AD). These popes left their mark on the history of the Church and the world during their respective reigns.
Another notable figure with the name Benedicto is Benedictus of Aniane, a Frankish Benedictine reformer who lived in the 8th and 9th centuries. He played a crucial role in reviving the Benedictine monastic tradition in the Carolingian Empire and establishing the Benedictine Confederation, which helped standardize monastic practices across Europe.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook Benedicto Calderón, a Spanish Golden Age dramatist and playwright who lived from 1600 to 1681. His works, including "El Alcalde de Zalamea" and "La Vida es Sueño," are considered masterpieces of Spanish literature and have had a lasting impact on the world of theater.
Another noteworthy figure is Benedictus de Spinoza, a Dutch philosopher who lived from 1632 to 1677. Known as one of the great rationalists of the 17th century, Spinoza's works, including "Ethics" and "Tractatus Theologico-Politicus," had a profound influence on modern philosophy, particularly in the areas of metaphysics and ethics.
People
Benedicto + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Benedicto 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
Benedicto: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Benedicto?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 164 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Benedicto 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 2,089,965 US residents.
Is Benedicto a common name?
We classify Benedicto as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 190 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Benedicto most popular?
The single biggest year for Benedicto was 1963, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Benedicto is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Benedicto a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Benedicto 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.
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.