Benedict
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Meaning
from Benedictus, meaning 'blessed'
Goes by Ben, Benny. See all nicknames
Benedict's name day is July 11, the feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia in the Roman calendar of saints.
The story
Benedict is the Latin benedictus, blessed, and for fifteen centuries it has been less a fashion than a vocation. Benedict of Nursia wrote his Rule for monks around the year 530, the short book of work and prayer that organized Western monasticism; his feast is kept on July 11, and sixteen popes have taken the name, most recently in 2005. Parents mostly left it to the abbeys: in American records Benedict has been rare in every single decade since the 1890s, a name met in histories more often than in classrooms. The 2010s and 2020s show a modest lift, its best showing yet, arriving in years when the name was constantly in the news, from the papacy to a certain London actor, though with a name this rare, small numbers move easily and causes are hard to pin. What endures is the meaning: blessed, said plainly, in a name that has never chased anyone.
How popular is Benedict around the world?
In the United States, 1,447 babies were named Benedict between 2020 and 2025. In Austria, 9 boys named Benedict were born in 2025, the 494th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
Benedict is on the official records of the United States, Austria, England and Wales, Canada, South Australia, Argentina and Spain.
United States
1 in 15,000
In the United States, 1,447 babies were named Benedict between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Benedict peaked in the 2020s. In US birth records Benedict has stayed between 452 and 1,447 births in every decade since the 1950s: a name everyone knows and few children get.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Austria
1 in 8,500
In Austria, 9 boys named Benedict were born in 2025, the 494th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
England and Wales
1 in 12,000
In England and Wales, 50 boys named Benedict were born in 2025, the 702nd most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
1 in 13,000
In Canada, 29 boys named Benedict were born in 2024, the 886th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 boy was registered as Benedict in 2017.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Argentina
1 in 330,000
In Argentina, 2 newborns were given the name Benedict in 2024.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Spain
1 in 700,000
In Spain, 64 residents are named Benedict, ranked 11,803rd among men, with a mean age of 32.5 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Ireland
last on record 2024
Benedict is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Mexico City City
last on record 2021
Benedict is not on the 2022 record for Mexico City, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
New Zealand
last on record 2005
Benedict is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Scotland
last on record 2023
Benedict is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Not on the record in Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
Where Benedict travels
Filipino American · A familiar traditional choice in Filipino American families.
Keep exploring
Nicknames for Benedict · Filipino American baby names · Saint names for babies and confirmation · Familiar but never popular
The Benedict deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Benedict truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Benedict fits with your family’s names and surname.
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