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

Benigno, 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 Benigno surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benigno in America

Benigno is the 21429th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benigno surname appeared 1,220 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 Benigno.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benigno 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 Benigno

The surname Benigno has its origins in Italy, where it is believed to have first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "benigno," which itself stems from the Latin word "benignus," meaning "kind" or "benevolent." This suggests that the name was likely originally a descriptive surname, bestowed upon someone with a particularly gentle or good-natured disposition.

In Italy, the name has been documented as far back as the 13th century, with records showing families bearing the surname residing in various regions, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Sicily. One early notable bearer of the name was Filippo Benigno, a 14th-century poet and humanist from Naples.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Benigni, Benignini, and Benignoni, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the vagaries of historical record-keeping. In Spain, for instance, the surname appeared as Benigno, while in France, it took the form of Bénin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Italy can be found in the 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador, Hernán Benigno. Born in Seville in 1495, he was part of the expedition that conquered much of present-day Mexico and Central America.

In the 17th century, the Benigno surname gained prominence in the literary world with the Italian poet and playwright, Giovanni Benigno Pescetti (1609-1683). His works, which included tragedies and pastoral dramas, were widely acclaimed and influenced the development of Italian theatre.

Another notable bearer of the name was the 18th-century Italian architect and engineer, Giovanni Benigno Crespi (1735-1816). He was responsible for the design and construction of several prominent buildings in Milan, including the Palazzo Litta and the Teatro Regio Ducal.

In the 19th century, the name gained further renown with the Italian philosopher and politician, Giuseppe Benigno Crispi (1809-1901). A leading figure in the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification, he served as Prime Minister of Italy from 1887 to 1891.

The 20th century saw the emergence of the Mexican painter and muralist, Diego Benigno Rivera (1886-1957), whose works depicting the Mexican Revolution and indigenous culture made him one of the most celebrated artists of his time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benigno

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

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

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

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