2000
#9,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,280
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Benedetto
An Italian surname derived from the Latin "benedictus," meaning "blessed" or "well-spoken."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,636 Americans carry the last name Benedetto. That puts it at #9,762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,267 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benedetto 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
3.6K
1 in 94,267
Census rank
#9,762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,171 bearers of the surname Benedetto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedetto, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benedetto
The surname Benedetto originated in Italy during the late Middle Ages. It derives from the Italian given name Benedetto, which in turn comes from the Late Latin name Benedictus meaning "blessed." The name likely first emerged as a nickname or descriptive surname referring to a person blessed with good fortune or positive attributes.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Benedetto Antelami, a renowned sculptor and architect active in Parma, Italy in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. His work can be seen adorning the Baptistery of Parma Cathedral, which he helped construct between 1196-1216.
In the early 13th century, a Benedetto da Maiano was documented as a sculptor and architect responsible for designing portions of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. He lived from around 1442-1497.
The Benedetto surname also has ties to religious orders named after St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine monastic tradition in the 6th century AD. Giovanni Benedetto Platti, born in 1692, was an Italian Benedictine monk and historian who chronicled church affairs.
Another notable bearer was Vincenzo Benedetto, an Italian painter born in Naples in 1817. He became known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting daily life in Italy during the 19th century.
One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Benedetto Croce, an Italian philosopher, historian and politician born in 1866. A prolific writer, he helped revive interest in the philosophy of Giambattista Vico and made important contributions to aesthetic theory.
While the name originated in Italy, it later spread to other regions through migration and has evolved with various spellings over the centuries according to regional linguistic influences. However, Benedetto remains the primary spelling rooted in its Latin and Italian origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benedetto
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedetto, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Benedetto 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 Benedetto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,859
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 198
- Two or more races2.3% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benedetto
Benedetto 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
#9,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,375
+95 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 479 places
2020
#9,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,171
-204 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,145 | 3,280 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,624 | 3,375 | 1.14 | +95 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 479 places |
| 2020 | #9,762 | 3,171 | 1.06 | -204 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 138 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 Benedetto 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 | #9,624 | #9,762 | -1.4% |
| Count | 3,375 | 3,171 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.06 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benedetto bearers went from 3,375 to 3,171 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,624 to #9,762.
FAQ
Benedetto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benedetto?
Name Census estimates that about 3,636 living Americans carry the surname Benedetto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,267 residents.
How common is Benedetto?
Benedetto ranks #9,762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,171 people with the surname Benedetto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,636), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Benedetto.
Has Benedetto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benedetto went from 3,375 recorded bearers to 3,171. That is a decrease of 204 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,624 to #9,762.
What does the Census say about the background of Benedetto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benedetto, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Benedetto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,859 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benedetto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Benedetto (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 Benedetto mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Latin "benedictus," meaning "blessed" or "well-spoken." 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 Benedetto (1.06 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 share the surname Benedetto?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.