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

Benoist, 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 Benoist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benoist in America

Benoist is the 31251st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benoist surname appeared 742 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 Benoist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benoist 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 Benoist

The surname Benoist is of French origin, deriving from the Old French words "bene" meaning "well" and "oist" meaning "bird". It emerged in the medieval period, likely referring to someone who kept or cared for birds, perhaps a falconer or bird trainer.

The earliest recorded instances of the Benoist name can be found in historical documents from the 12th century in northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Île-de-France. Variations in spelling included Benoit, Benoiste, and Benest.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Domesday Book, a record of landowners in England compiled by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals with the Benoist surname may have migrated to England during the Norman conquest.

Notable Benoist figures throughout history include Philippe Benoist (1592-1673), a French Jesuit priest and missionary who worked in Canada among the Huron people. Jacques Benoist (1598-1629) was a French painter and engraver active during the Baroque period.

In the 18th century, Marie-Guillelmine Benoist (1768-1826) was a renowned French portrait painter and one of the few women admitted to the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. Her self-portrait with her students is considered a masterpiece of the Neoclassical era.

Another notable figure was André-Victor-Ignace Benoist (1761-1835), a French politician and lawyer who served as the President of the National Convention during the French Revolution.

In the 19th century, the Benoist name can be found in connection with several place names in France, such as Benoistons and Benoistville, further reinforcing its French origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benoist

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

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

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

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