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

Benítez, 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 Benítez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benítez in America

Benítez is the 666th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benítez surname appeared 51,288 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Benítez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benítez 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 Benítez

The surname Benitez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the Spanish given name Benito, which itself comes from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning "blessed." The name likely emerged in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in southern Spain.

Benitez is a variant spelling of the more common Benítez, with the addition of the letter "z" at the end. This spelling variation is believed to have arisen due to regional linguistic differences within Spain. The earliest recorded instances of the name Benitez can be found in medieval Spanish documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries.

One notable historical figure with the surname Benitez was Juan Benitez, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. Juan Benitez played a crucial role in establishing Spanish settlements in the newly conquered territories.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Domingo Benitez (1711-1786), a Spanish architect and military engineer who oversaw the construction of several fortifications and public works in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, including the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida.

In the 19th century, Manuel Benitez (1824-1893) was a Mexican lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Mexico during the presidency of Porfirio Díaz. He played a significant role in shaping Mexico's foreign policy during that era.

Remigio Benitez (1855-1917) was a Filipino lawyer and statesman who served as a member of the Revolutionary Government during the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century. He later held various positions in the newly established Philippine government.

Another notable figure was Joaquín Benitez (1896-1945), a Spanish writer and poet who was part of the Generation of '27, a prominent literary movement in Spain. His works explored themes of existentialism and metaphysics, and he is considered one of the most influential Spanish poets of the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benítez

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

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

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

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