2000
#40,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 511
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Banet
A French surname derived from the Old French word "ban", referring to a forester or keeper of the ban (forest).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 679 Americans carry the last name Banet. That puts it at #40,000 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 504,793 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Banet 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.
Bearers in the US
679
1 in 504,793
Census rank
#40,000
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
592
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 592 bearers of the surname Banet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40000th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Banet, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Black (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Banet
The surname BANET is believed to have originated in France during the 11th century. It is thought to be a variation of the French name Benet, which is derived from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning "blessed." The name was likely popularized by the many religious figures who bore the name Benedict, such as Saint Benedict of Nursia, the founder of the Benedictine Order.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BANET can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Benet," and it is believed to refer to a landowner or tenant in the county of Essex.
During the Middle Ages, the name BANET appeared in various records and manuscripts throughout Europe. In France, there are records of a nobleman named Raoul Banet who lived in the 13th century and owned lands in the region of Burgundy. In England, the name was sometimes spelled as "Bennet" or "Benet," and it was associated with several notable individuals.
One famous bearer of the name BANET was Sir John Banet, who was a member of the English Parliament in the 14th century. He was born around 1320 and served as a knight of the shire for the county of Gloucestershire.
Another notable figure was William Banet, an English clergyman who lived in the 15th century. He was a scholar and theologian who served as the Bishop of Hereford from 1472 to 1492.
In the 16th century, there was a French writer and poet named Guillaume Banet, who was born in Paris in 1535. He is best known for his work "Les Tragiques," which was a poetic criticism of the French Wars of Religion.
During the 17th century, the name BANET was also found in Scotland, where it was sometimes spelled as "Bannet." One notable Scotsman with this name was James Bannet, who was born in Edinburgh in 1635 and served as a merchant and trader.
Another important figure was Sir Richard Banet, an English soldier and politician who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in 1670 and served as a member of Parliament for the borough of Taunton in Somerset.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Banet
Among Census respondents with the surname Banet, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Black (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Banet 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 Banet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 558
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 14
- Black or African American1.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5
- Two or more races0.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Banet
Banet 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
#40,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 533
+22 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 574 places
2020
#40,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 592
+59 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 909 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,335 | 511 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,909 | 533 | 0.18 | +22 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 574 places |
| 2020 | #40,000 | 592 | 0.20 | +59 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 909 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 Banet 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 | #40,909 | #40,000 | 2.2% |
| Count | 533 | 592 | 11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.20 | 10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Banet bearers went from 533 to 592 (+11.1% change). The surname moved up 909 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,909 to #40,000.
FAQ
Banet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Banet?
Name Census estimates that about 679 living Americans carry the surname Banet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 504,793 residents.
How common is Banet?
Banet ranks #40,000 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 592 people with the surname Banet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (679), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Banet.
Has Banet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Banet went from 533 recorded bearers to 592. That is an increase of 59 (+11.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #40,909 to #40,000.
What does the Census say about the background of Banet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Banet, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Black (1.5%). 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 Banet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (558 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Banet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.4%), Black (1.5%). 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 Banet (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 Banet mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "ban", referring to a forester or keeper of the ban (forest). 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 Banet (0.20 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 surname Banet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.