2000
#70,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 261
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Benowitz
A variant spelling of the Ashkenazic Jewish surname "Benowitz," derived from the Hebrew word "binyan" meaning "builder" or "mason."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 381 Americans carry the last name Benowitz. That puts it at #64,670 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 899,618 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benowitz 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
381
1 in 899,618
Census rank
#64,670
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
332
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 332 bearers of the surname Benowitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64670th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benowitz
The surname Benowitz is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin. It is believed to have originated in the shtetls of Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and Russia, in the 17th century. The name is a derivation of the Hebrew name "Ben Avitus," which translates to "son of Avitus."
Avitus was a common given name among Jews in medieval times, derived from the Latin name "Avitus," which means "ancestral" or "inherited." The addition of the suffix "-owitz" or "-vich" was a Slavic way of indicating patronymic surnames, meaning "son of."
One of the earliest documented references to the Benowitz surname can be found in the Revision Lists, which were census records maintained by the Russian Empire for tax purposes. These lists mention several Benowitz families living in the Pale of Settlement, a region designated for Jewish settlement in the late 18th century.
In the early 19th century, a notable figure named Moshe Benowitz was a respected rabbi and scholar in the town of Kobryn, now located in Belarus. He authored several works on Jewish law and theology.
As Jews emigrated from Eastern Europe to other parts of the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Benowitz surname spread to various countries. One notable bearer of the name was Shmuel Benowitz (1892-1981), a prominent Zionist leader and activist who played a key role in the establishment of the State of Israel.
Another historical figure was Max Benowitz (1915-1988), a Polish-born writer and journalist who survived the Holocaust and later documented his experiences in several books and memoirs.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Benowitz surname was in the late 19th century, when several Benowitz families settled in New York City, fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe. Among them was Isaac Benowitz (1872-1944), a successful businessman and philanthropist who supported various Jewish charities and organizations.
Other notable individuals with the Benowitz surname include David Benowitz (1937-2021), an American criminal defense attorney and legal scholar, and Sarah Benowitz (1921-2005), a Polish-born artist and sculptor who became renowned for her abstract works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benowitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Benowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Benowitz 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 Benowitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 306
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 7
- Two or more races2.1% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benowitz
Benowitz 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
#61,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 327
+66 bearers (+25.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 8,616 places
2020
#64,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 332
+5 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 3,234 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #70,052 | 261 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,436 | 327 | 0.11 | +66 bearers (+25.3%) | Up 8,616 places |
| 2020 | #64,670 | 332 | 0.11 | +5 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 3,234 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 Benowitz 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 | #61,436 | #64,670 | -5.3% |
| Count | 327 | 332 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benowitz bearers went from 327 to 332 (+1.5% change). The surname moved down 3,234 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,436 to #64,670.
FAQ
Benowitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benowitz?
Name Census estimates that about 381 living Americans carry the surname Benowitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 899,618 residents.
How common is Benowitz?
Benowitz ranks #64,670 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 332 people with the surname Benowitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (381), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Benowitz.
Has Benowitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benowitz went from 327 recorded bearers to 332. That is an increase of 5 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #61,436 to #64,670.
What does the Census say about the background of Benowitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benowitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Benowitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benowitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (2.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.1%). 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 Benowitz (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 Benowitz mean?
A variant spelling of the Ashkenazic Jewish surname "Benowitz," derived from the Hebrew word "binyan" meaning "builder" or "mason." 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 Benowitz (0.11 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 Americans have the surname Benowitz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.