Benedict
Benedict was the 814th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 305 babies. Its best year was 1914, when it ranked 447th; the most babies were born in 2025 (305). Over the last ten years it has moved up 391 places. More babies were named Benedict in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning blessed · Latin
Say it BEN-uh-dikt /ˈbɛnədɪkt/
- Rank in 2025
- #814 boys, up 255 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 305boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025305 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,475babies recorded
What does the name Benedict mean?
Benedict comes from the Late Latin name Benedictus, "blessed", from bene, "well", and dicere, "to speak", as DMNES and Wiktionary explain. Saint Benedict of Nursia, the 6th-century founder of the Benedictine order, made it a major Christian name, and DMNES counts twelve medieval popes who took it. DMNES records the English short form Ben and the vernacular Benet in 1379. Bennett is the medieval English form of the same name.
benedictus (Latin, “blessed”)benedīcō (Latin, “to bless, speak well of”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Bennett, Benito, Benedikt, Ben, Benny.
See also: Latin names, names that mean joy.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Benedict', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Benedict', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Benedict (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Benedict
The usual nicknames for Benedict are Ben, Benny and Benji. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Benedict in the last five years, 125 were named Ben, against 567 twenty years earlier. Benji is also gaining on the full name.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben · Ben is recorded as a short form of Benedict in medieval England · also for Benjamin, Bennett, Benson | Traditional | #843 | 1,574 |
| Benny · also for Benjamin, Bennett, Benicio | Traditional | #841 | 1,197 |
| Benji · also for Benjamin | Modern | #1,341 | 567 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Benedicts go by each one.
Benedict popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #814 | 305 |
| 2020 | #1,069 | 187 |
| 2010 | #1,741 | 87 |
| 2000 | #1,784 | 61 |
| 1990 | #1,705 | 47 |
| 1980 | #1,239 | 55 |
| 1970 | #1,262 | 43 |
| 1960 | #845 | 80 |
| 1950 | #701 | 96 |
| 1940 | #782 | 63 |
| 1930 | #655 | 89 |
| 1920 | #545 | 127 |
| 1910 | #525 | 29 |
| 1900 | #789 | 11 |
| 1890 | #633 | 10 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Benedict, counting every spelling?
Benedict is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #794 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #814 for Benedict on its own. Together these spellings went to 305 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benedict | 305 | #814 | 1,260 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Benedict?
305 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Benedict (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Benedict born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Benedict.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Benedict?
About 6,500 people born in the US named Benedict are alive today, with a median age of 21; half are between 8 and 54. That makes Benedict mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Benedict by state
How common Benedict was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kansas (4.3×), Minnesota (3.3×), Iowa (2.5×), Michigan (2.0×), Virginia (2.0×). In 21 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Benedict: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Benedict, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Benedict · Sibling names for Benedict
Questions about the name Benedict
What does Benedict mean?
Benedict means “blessed” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Benedict?
Benedict was the 814th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 305 babies. Its best year was 1914, when it ranked 447th; the most babies were born in 2025 (305). Over the last ten years it has moved up 391 places. More babies were named Benedict in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Benedict a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Benedict in the US.
Where is Benedict most popular?
In 2021–2025, Benedict was most common in Kansas (0.63 per 1,000 boys), followed by Minnesota and Iowa.