Find out how popular the last name Benatar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Benatar.

Benatar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Benatar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benatar in America

Benatar is the 87663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benatar surname appeared 212 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Benatar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benatar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Benatar

The surname Benatar has its origins in Spain, emerging in the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "benatar," which means "pleasant place" or "fertile land." The name likely originated in the regions of Andalusia or Murcia, where Arabic influence on language and culture was significant during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.

Some historians suggest that the name Benatar may have been adopted by Sephardic Jews who lived in Spain before the Inquisition and subsequent expulsion in the late 15th century. The name's possible Arabic roots could indicate that it was initially used by Jews who had assimilated into the Moorish culture or had converted to Islam during that period.

The earliest recorded instances of the Benatar surname can be found in historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is a merchant named Isaac Benatar, who is mentioned in a trade record from the city of Seville in 1295. Another early reference is in a land deed from the town of Murcia, dated 1367, which lists a landowner named Yusuf Benatar.

As the Sephardic Jews faced persecution and expulsion from Spain in the late 15th century, many families bearing the Benatar name dispersed across the Mediterranean region, settling in places like Morocco, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire. Some may have eventually made their way to the Netherlands and other parts of Northern Europe as well.

In more recent history, several notable individuals have carried the Benatar surname. One example is the American singer-songwriter Pat Benatar, born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski in 1953. Her stage name was inspired by her husband's surname, which she adopted professionally. Another notable figure is the Israeli scholar and author Avraham Benatar, who lived from 1887 to 1979 and wrote extensively on Jewish history and culture.

Other notable bearers of the Benatar name include the British artist and illustrator David Benatar (1911-1988), the Mexican writer and journalist Carlos Benatar (1915-1998), and the Spanish philosopher and academic José Benatar (born 1935).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benatar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Benatar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Benatar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Benatar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Benatar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Benatar, please contact us.

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