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

Benites, 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 Benites surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benites in America

Benites is the 10136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benites surname appeared 3,181 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Benites.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benites 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 Benites

The surname BENITES is of Spanish origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the 15th or 16th century. The name is derived from the word "benito," which means "blessed" in Spanish. It is a variant of the surname "Benito," which was likely given to individuals who were born on the day of Saint Benedict or were associated with the Benedictine order of monks.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname BENITES can be found in various Spanish historical records, such as parish registers and census documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. During this period, the name was prevalent in regions like Andalusia, Extremadura, and Castile.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname BENITES was Juan Benites, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Another notable figure was Pedro Benites, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the expeditions of Juan Ponce de León and Hernando de Soto in the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name BENITES appeared in various historical records from Spanish colonies in the Americas. For instance, Fray Jerónimo Benites was a Spanish Franciscan missionary who worked among the indigenous populations of New Mexico in the late 17th century.

Jumping forward to the 19th century, José Benites was a prominent Peruvian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1860s. During the same period, Manuel Benites was a notable Mexican military officer who fought in the Mexican-American War and the Reform War.

Another individual with the surname BENITES was Juan Benites, a Spanish composer and musician who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is known for his compositions for the guitar and other string instruments.

While the surname BENITES is not as common as some other Spanish surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including explorers, missionaries, politicians, and artists, across several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benites

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

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

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

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