2000
#55,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Benedek
A Hungarian surname meaning "blessed" or "blessed one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 441 Americans carry the last name Benedek. That puts it at #57,177 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 777,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benedek 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
441
1 in 777,221
Census rank
#57,177
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
385
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 385 bearers of the surname Benedek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 57177th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benedek
The surname BENEDEK is of Hungarian origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a patronymic name derived from the Hungarian given name Benedek, which itself is a version of the Latin name Benedictus, meaning "blessed."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BENEDEK can be found in the Regestrum Varadiense, a 14th-century manuscript containing legal records from the Diocese of Várad (now Oradea, Romania). In this document, a certain Benedek de Zeek is mentioned in an entry dated 1329.
During the 15th century, the name BENEDEK appeared in various Hungarian historical records, including the Zsigmondkori Oklevéltár (Sigismund's Diplomacy), a collection of charters and documents from the reign of King Sigismund of Hungary (1387-1437). One notable bearer of the name during this period was Benedek Himfi (c. 1400-1470), a Hungarian nobleman and military commander who fought against the Ottoman Turks.
In the 16th century, the BENEDEK name gained further prominence with the rise of the Benedek family of Arad, a influential noble clan in the Kingdom of Hungary. One of the most famous members of this family was Benedek Mindszenti (1508-1568), a Hungarian prelate who served as the Bishop of Várad and later as the Archbishop of Esztergom.
Another notable bearer of the BENEDEK surname was János Benedek (1765-1818), a Hungarian poet and writer who was a member of the Benedictine order. His works, which included religious poetry and translations of classical texts, were influential in the development of Hungarian literature during the Age of Enlightenment.
In the 19th century, the BENEDEK name was associated with several prominent figures in the fields of science and education. One such individual was Elek Benedek (1859-1929), a Hungarian geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil invertebrates.
The surname BENEDEK has also been borne by notable individuals in more recent times, such as the Hungarian writer and essayist István Benedek (1915-1996), and the Romanian-Hungarian poet and translator András Ferenc Benedek (1946-2012).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benedek
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Benedek 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 Benedek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 363
- Two or more races2.6% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benedek
Benedek 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
#53,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 385
+43 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 2,304 places
2020
#57,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 385
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 3,510 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,971 | 342 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,667 | 385 | 0.13 | +43 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 2,304 places |
| 2020 | #57,177 | 385 | 0.13 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,510 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 Benedek 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 | #53,667 | #57,177 | -6.5% |
| Count | 385 | 385 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benedek bearers went from 385 to 385 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,510 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,667 to #57,177.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Benedek
FAQ
Benedek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benedek?
Name Census estimates that about 441 living Americans carry the surname Benedek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 777,221 residents.
How common is Benedek?
Benedek ranks #57,177 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 385 people with the surname Benedek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (441), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Benedek.
Has Benedek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benedek went from 385 recorded bearers to 385. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #53,667 to #57,177.
What does the Census say about the background of Benedek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Benedek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (363 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benedek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Benedek (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 Benedek mean?
A Hungarian surname meaning "blessed" or "blessed one". 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 Benedek (0.13 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 Americans have the surname Benedek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.