2000
#1,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,617
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.90
Uncommon Last name
Benavides
A Spanish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "son of Avid" or "son of life."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,883 Americans carry the last name Benavides. That puts it at #1,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,750 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benavides 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
27K
1 in 12,750
Census rank
#1,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,443 bearers of the surname Benavides in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benavides, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benavides
The surname Benavides has its origins in Spain. It is a place name, derived from the town of Benavides, located in the province of Leon, in the Castile and Leon region of northwestern Spain. The name is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, likely around the 11th or 12th century.
The name Benavides is a combination of two Spanish words, "buen" meaning "good" and "vides" meaning "vines" or "vineyards." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place known for its quality vineyards or wine production. It is also possible that the name initially referred to a person associated with or living near these vineyards.
One of the earliest known references to the Benavides name can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting manuscript compiled under the orders of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This manuscript mentions a place called "Venavides," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Benavides.
Notable individuals with the surname Benavides throughout history include:
1. Rodrigo Ponce de León y Benavides (1443-1492), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Reconquista and the conquest of Granada.
2. Toribio Alonso de Benavides (1610-1667), a Spanish Franciscan friar and author who served as a missionary in New Mexico and wrote the "Memorial" describing the region's geography and indigenous cultures.
3. Diego de Benavides y de la Cueva (1607-1666), a Spanish nobleman and Viceroy of Naples from 1648 to 1653.
4. Manuel de Benavides (1683-1748), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Santa Fe de Bogotá (present-day Colombia) from 1736 to 1743.
5. Ramón Benavides (1809-1867), a Mexican soldier and politician who served as the Governor of Coahuila from 1857 to 1863 during the Reform War.
While the Benavides name originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries due to Spanish colonization and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the town of Benavides in northwestern Spain, where the name likely emerged as a place name reflecting the region's wine-growing heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benavides
Among Census respondents with the surname Benavides, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Benavides 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 Benavides surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.9% · 21,554
- White6.5% · 1,528
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 144
- Two or more races0.4% · 87
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 66
- Black or African American0.3% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benavides
Benavides 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
#1,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,761
+5,144 bearers (+27.6%)
Per 100,000 8.06
Rank movement Up 256 places
2020
#1,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,443
-318 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 7.84
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,764 | 18,617 | 6.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,508 | 23,761 | 8.06 | +5,144 bearers (+27.6%) | Up 256 places |
| 2020 | #1,484 | 23,443 | 7.84 | -318 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 24 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 Benavides 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 | #1,508 | #1,484 | 1.6% |
| Count | 23,761 | 23,443 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 8.06 | 7.84 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benavides bearers went from 23,761 to 23,443 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,508 to #1,484.
FAQ
Benavides surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benavides?
Name Census estimates that about 26,883 living Americans carry the surname Benavides. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,750 residents.
How common is Benavides?
Benavides ranks #1,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,443 people with the surname Benavides. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,883), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Benavides.
Has Benavides become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benavides went from 23,761 recorded bearers to 23,443. That is a decrease of 318 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,508 to #1,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Benavides?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benavides, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.9%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Benavides in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (21,554 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benavides appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.9%), White (6.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Benavides (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 Benavides mean?
A Spanish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "son of Avid" or "son of life." 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 Benavides (7.84 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 common is the surname Benavides?
You can see how common the surname Benavides is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.