Benedict

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Benedict

Gender: Masculine
Language: English
Etymology:
Benedict is the English form of Benedictus, a Latin name meaning “Blessed.”
Bennett is a medieval English form of Benedictus, which developed via the Old French form Beneoit.

History:
Benedict is not found in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066. Soon after, it became quite common. Nearly always, however, it appeared (pronounced and spelled) as Bennett (based on Beneoit, an Old French form of Benedict).
Bennett, the vernacular form, was used from the 12th to 18th centuries, leading to several surnames. In the 18th century, the more “learned” form of Benedict was revived (based this time, directly on Latin). But the old form Bennett continued to be used as well, more often now as a transferred surname.
In the United States, Benedict has suffered somewhat of a setback from being associated with Benedict Arnold, the Revolutionary War hero-turned-traitor.

Pronunciation: ben-ah-dickt.

Diminutives:
English: Ben, Bennie, Benny.

Alternates: Benedick, Bennett, Bennet.
Catalan: Benet.
Czech: Benes.
Danish: Bendt, Bent.
Dutch: Benedikt.
Finnish: Pentti.
French: Benoit, Benoît, Bénoit.
French (Old): Beneoit.
German: Benedikt.
Hungarian: Benedek, Benci.
Italian: Benito, Benedetto, Bennedetto.
Polish: Benedykt.
Portuguese: Bento.
Provençal: Bénézet.
Russian: Venedikt.
Scottish: Bemeit.
Spanish: Benedicto, Benito.
Swedish: Bengt.
Yiddish: Benyish.

Surnames:
English: Benson, Bennet, Bennett.
Latin: Benedicti.
Swedish: Bengtsson.

Feminine: Benedicta, Benita.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Benoît de Sainte-Maure (12th century)
French poet.
Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro (1676-1764)
Spanish essayist.
Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739)
Italian composer.
Bengt Lidner (1757-1793)
Swedish poet.
Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920)
Spanish writer.
Benito Lynch (1885-1951)
Argentine novelist.
Benedict Wallet Vilakazi (1906-1947)
Zulu poet.
Bennett “Benny” Carter (1907-)
American jazz musician.

Educators, Scholar, and Social Workers:
Benedict de Spinoza (Baruch) (1632-1677)
Dutch-Jewish philosopher.
Benedetto Croce (1866-1952)
Italian philosopher.

Military:
Benedict Arnold (1741-1801)
American Revolutionary hero-turned-traitor.

Miscellaneous:
Bennett Cerf (1898-1971)
American publisher

Political Figures:
Bengt Gabrielsson, Greve Oxenstierna (1623-1702)
Swedish statesman.
Benito Pablo Juárez (1806-1872)
French poet.
Benito Mussolini (1883-1943)
Dictator of Italy.

Religious Figures:
St. Benedict of Nursia (?-547)
Founder of Western monasticism.
Benedict I (?-579)
Pope from 574 to 579.
St. Benedict Biscop (-689)
Anglo-Saxon clergyman.
Benedict II (?-685)
Pope from 684 to 685.
Benedict III (?-858)
Pope from 855 to 858.
Benedict IV (?-903)
Pope from 900 to 9803.
Benedict V the Grammarian (?-966)
Pope from 963 to 966.
Benedict VI (?-974)
Pope from 973 to 974.
Benedict VII (?-983)
Pope from 974 to 983.
Benedict VIII (Teofilatto) (?-1024)
Pope from 1012 to 1024.
Benedict IX (Teofilatto) (?-1055)
Three times the pope.
Benedict (X) (Giovanni Mincio) (?-1080)
Antipope.
Benedict XI (Niccolò Boccasini) (1240-1305)
Pope from 1303 to 1304.
Benedict XII (Jacques Fournier) (?-1342)
Pope from 1334 to 1342.
Benedict (XIV) (Bernard Garnier) (?-1433)
Anti-pope.
Benedict (XIII) (Pedro de Luna) (1328-1423)
Anti-pope.
Benedict XIII (Peitro Francesco Vincenzo Maria Orsini (1649-1730)
Pope from 1724 to 1730.
Benedict XIV (Prospero Lambertini) (1675-1758)
Pope from 1740 to 1758.
Benedict Joseph Flaget (1763-1850)
Early American Roman Catholic leader.
Benedict XV (Giacomo della Chiesa) (1854-1922)
Pope from 1914 to 1922.

Scientists:
Bénoit Clapeyron (1799-1864)
French civil engineer.
Benoît Fourneyron (1802-1867)
French engineer.
Benedict Augustin Morel (1809-1873)
Austrian-French psychologist.
Bengt Strömgren (1908-1987)
Danish astrophysicist.
Benoit Mandelbrot (1924-)
Polish mathematician.
Bengt Samuelsson Ingemar (1934-)
Swedish biochemist. Co-winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

Singers and Entertainers:
Benoît-Constant Coquelin (1841-1909)
French actor.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.015 % named Benito
0.008 % named Bennett
0.004 % named Benedict

Popularity of Benedict:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 724th most popular.
1910-1920: 567th most popular.
1920-1930: 614th most popular.
1930-1940: 690th most popular.
1940-1950: 856th most popular.
1950-1960: 794th most popular.
1960-1970: 945th most popular.
1970-2000: N/A

Popularity of Benito:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 606th most popular.
1910-1920: 637th most popular.
1920-1930: 503rd most popular.
1930-1940: 438th most popular.
1940-1950: 523rd most popular.
1950-1960: 580th most popular.
1960-1970: 594th most popular.
1970-1980: 586th most popular.
1980-1990: 626th most popular.
1990: 756th most popular.
1991: 751st most popular.
1992: 716th most popular.
1993: 777th most popular.
1994: 733rd most popular.
1995: 773rd most popular.
1996: 769th most popular.
1997: 523rd most popular.
1998: 847th most popular.
1999: 846th most popular.
2000: 906th most popular.
2001: 985th most popular.
2002: N/A
2003: 990th most popular.

Popularity of Bennett:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1900-1910: 712th most popular.
1910-1920: 655th most popular.
1920-1930: 682nd most popular.
1930-1940: 637th most popular.
1940-1950: 559th most popular.
1950-1960: 647th most popular.
1960-1970: 621st most popular.
1970-1980: 903rd most popular.
1980-1990: 690th most popular.
1990: 696th most popular.
1991: 685th most popular.
1992: 685th most popular.
1993: 718th most popular.
1994: 679th most popular.
1995: 652nd most popular.
1996: 580th most popular.
1997: 828th most popular.
1998: 485th most popular.
1999: 500th most popular.
2000: 442nd most popular.
2001: 475th most popular.
2002: 456th most popular.
2003: 431st most popular.

Popularity of Benoit:
Popularity (for newborns):
In France...
1900: 129th most popular.
1910: 131st most popular.
1920: 120th most popular.
1930: 149th most popular.
1940: 151st most popular.
1950: 102nd most popular.
1960: 73rd most popular.
1970: 42nd most popular.
1980: 21st most popular.
1990: 32nd most popular.
2000: 79th most popular.