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

Benedith, 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 Benedith surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benedith in America

Benedith is the 120187th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benedith surname appeared 144 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 Benedith.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benedith 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 Benedith

The surname Benedith has its origins in medieval England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bene" meaning "prayer" and "dith" meaning "song" or "hymn." This suggests that the name may have initially been borne by individuals associated with religious or ecclesiastical duties involving chanting or singing prayers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Benedith can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1195, where a person named Richard Benedith is mentioned. This historical document, which recorded financial transactions and accounts, provides evidence of the surname's existence during the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the Benedith surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a survey of landholders conducted in 1279. This record mentions a William Benedith, indicating the name's presence in the region during that time period.

During the 14th century, the surname Benedith was found in various records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Benedith was mentioned in 1325. Additionally, the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 listed a Thomas Benedith among the taxpayers.

One notable individual bearing the Benedith surname was Robert Benedith, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was mentioned in the Visitation of Yorkshire in 1530 as the lord of the manor of Ingram in Northumberland.

Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Benedith, a military officer who fought in the English Civil War during the 17th century. He was born in 1610 and served as a Royalist commander under King Charles I, participating in several battles against the Parliamentarian forces.

In the 18th century, the Benedith surname appeared in various parish records throughout England, such as the baptismal record of John Benedith in 1742 at St. Mary's Church in Nottinghamshire.

Furthermore, the Benedith name has been associated with several place names in England, including Benedith Manor in Shropshire and Benedith Hall in Warwickshire, suggesting a historical connection between the surname and these locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benedith

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

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 Benedith 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 Benedith 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 Benedith was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!