2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Benci
An Italian surname derived from the word "benci" meaning "graces" or "blessings".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Benci. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benci 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Benci in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benci, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benci
The surname Benci is of Italian origin, originating in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "benci," which means "curses" or "cursed." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or a derogatory term, possibly referring to someone who had a reputation for cursing or was considered unlucky.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Benci can be found in the archives of Florence, Italy, dating back to the 13th century. In 1271, a certain Benci di Guido is mentioned in the city's tax records, indicating that the family had already established itself in the region by that time.
The Benci surname gained prominence in the 14th century with the rise of the wealthy Florentine banker and politician, Dino di Tura Benci. He played a significant role in the political and economic affairs of the city-state and is mentioned in several historical chronicles of the period.
In the 15th century, the Benci family became patrons of the arts, commissioning works from renowned artists such as Sandro Botticelli. The famous painting "Portrait of a Young Woman," also known as the "Simonetta Vespucci" or the "Bella Simonetta," is believed to have been commissioned by the Benci family and depicts a member of their household.
Another notable figure bearing the Benci surname was Tomaso di Lorenzo Benci, a 16th-century Florentine humanist and scholar. He was a respected professor of Greek and Latin literature, and his works on ancient texts were highly regarded in academic circles of the time.
During the Renaissance period, the Benci family expanded their influence beyond Florence, establishing branches in other parts of Italy, such as Bologna and Rome. In the 17th century, Jacopo Benci, a Bolognese painter, gained recognition for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches in the region.
In more recent times, the Benci surname has been carried by individuals across various fields, including the Italian writer and journalist Luciano Benci (1903-1986) and the contemporary Italian singer-songwriter Gianluca Benci, who was born in 1964.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benci
Among Census respondents with the surname Benci, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Benci 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 Benci surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benci
Benci 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-15 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,381 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 22,381 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,412 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 Benci 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 | #147,253 | #148,665 | -1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 111 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benci bearers went from 112 to 111 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #148,665.
FAQ
Benci surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benci?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Benci. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Benci?
Benci ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Benci. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Benci.
Has Benci become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benci went from 112 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Benci?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benci, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Benci in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benci appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.5%), Black (2.7%). 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 Benci (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 Benci mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "benci" meaning "graces" or "blessings". 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 Benci (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 Benci?
See how many people have the last name Benci on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.