2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Benardo
A surname potentially derived from the French words "bon" and "ardo" meaning "bold ardor" or "burning courage".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Benardo. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benardo 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Benardo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benardo
The surname Benardo is thought to have originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Italian personal name Bernardo, which itself comes from the Germanic name Bernhard or Berenhard, composed of the elements "bera" meaning bear and "hard" meaning hardy, brave or strong.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Benardo can be found in a medieval document from the city of Florence, dated around 1300. The document mentions a certain "Giovanni Benardo" who was a merchant and landowner in the region.
In the 15th century, there are records of a noble family with the surname Benardo residing in the town of Amalfi, along the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. This family is said to have held significant influence and power in the region during that time.
A notable figure from history bearing the surname Benardo was Girolamo Benardo, an Italian painter and architect who lived from 1554 to 1622. He was known for his work on various churches and buildings in Rome and other parts of Italy during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Francesco Benardo, a Venetian diplomat and scholar who lived from 1634 to 1703. He served as the ambassador of the Republic of Venice to several European courts and was also a noted writer and translator of his time.
In the 18th century, there was a wealthy merchant family named Benardo based in the city of Naples. One of their members, Antonio Benardo (1712-1788), was a renowned patron of the arts and played a significant role in the cultural life of Naples during that era.
The surname Benardo can also be found in historical records from other parts of Italy, such as Tuscany, Umbria, and the Veneto region. In some cases, the name may have been influenced by or derived from local place names or variations in regional dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benardo
Among Census respondents with the surname Benardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Benardo 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 Benardo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino10.7% · 12
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benardo
Benardo 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+28 bearers (+27.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,949 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-17 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,575 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +28 bearers (+27.7%) | Up 17,949 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 16,575 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 Benardo 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 | #131,379 | #147,954 | -12.6% |
| Count | 129 | 112 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benardo bearers went from 129 to 112 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 16,575 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #147,954.
FAQ
Benardo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benardo?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Benardo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Benardo?
Benardo ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Benardo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Benardo.
Has Benardo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benardo went from 129 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Benardo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.7%) and Black (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Benardo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benardo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (10.7%), Black (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 Benardo (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 Benardo mean?
A surname potentially derived from the French words "bon" and "ardo" meaning "bold ardor" or "burning courage". 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 Benardo (0.04 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 Benardo?
See how many people are called Benardo on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.