2000
#16,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,588
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Benito
A surname of Italian origin, derived from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning "blessed" or "well-spoken."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,457 Americans carry the last name Benito. That puts it at #13,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benito 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
2.5K
1 in 139,501
Census rank
#13,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,143 bearers of the surname Benito in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benito, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and White (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benito
The surname Benito originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin personal name Benedictus, which means "blessed." The name likely arose as a nickname for someone born on the feast day of St. Benedict or for someone known for their blessings or piety.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Benito can be found in medieval Spanish records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. It was particularly prevalent in the regions of Castile and Aragon, where it was often spelled as Benito or Venito.
One notable historical reference to the name Benito can be found in the "Libro de los Valles de Vizcaya," a 14th-century manuscript that documented the noble families and lineages of the Basque region. It mentions a certain "Juan Benito de Zamudio," suggesting the name's presence in the area during that time.
In the 15th century, the surname Benito appeared in several Spanish place names, such as Benito de Bazán, a small town in the province of León, and Benito Juárez, a municipality in the state of Querétaro.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Benito throughout history are:
1. Pedro Benito Pardo de la Casta (1564-1629), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who played a significant role in the colonization of New Mexico.
2. María Benito Monclús (1836-1913), a Spanish philanthropist and educator who founded several schools and orphanages in Madrid.
3. Juan Benito Molina (1766-1829), a Chilean priest, naturalist, and writer, best known for his work "Compendio de la Historia Natural del Reino de Chile."
4. Benito Juárez (1806-1872), a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the 26th President of Mexico from 1858 to 1872, renowned for his liberal reforms and resistance against the French intervention.
5. Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), the infamous Italian fascist dictator and the founder of the National Fascist Party, who ruled Italy as Prime Minister from 1922 to 1943.
While the surname Benito has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly Latin America, due to Spanish colonization and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benito
Among Census respondents with the surname Benito, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and White (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Benito 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 Benito surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.8% · 1,474
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.9% · 384
- White8.7% · 187
- Two or more races2.5% · 53
- Black or African American1.7% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benito
Benito 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
#12,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,430
+842 bearers (+53.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 3,922 places
2020
#13,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,143
-287 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 855 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,625 | 1,588 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,703 | 2,430 | 0.82 | +842 bearers (+53.0%) | Up 3,922 places |
| 2020 | #13,558 | 2,143 | 0.72 | -287 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 855 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 Benito 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 | #12,703 | #13,558 | -6.7% |
| Count | 2,430 | 2,143 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.72 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benito bearers went from 2,430 to 2,143 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 855 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,703 to #13,558.
FAQ
Benito surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benito?
Name Census estimates that about 2,457 living Americans carry the surname Benito. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,501 residents.
How common is Benito?
Benito ranks #13,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,143 people with the surname Benito. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,457), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Benito.
Has Benito become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benito went from 2,430 recorded bearers to 2,143. That is a decrease of 287 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,703 to #13,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Benito?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benito, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and White (8.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Benito in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (1,474 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benito appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%), White (8.7%). 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 Benito (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 Benito mean?
A surname of Italian origin, derived from the Latin name 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 Benito (0.72 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 have the last name Benito?
See how many people are called Benito on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.