Explore the Family Name Benavente

The meaning of Benavente

Spanish: habitational name from any of several places, in the provinces of Badajoz, Huesca, and Zamora, named in Latin as Beneventum. The Latin placename seems to mean ‘welcome’ (from bene ‘well’ + ventum, past participle of venire ‘to come’), but this may be no more than a folk-etymological distortion of an earlier, pre-Roman name. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Carlos, Jesus, Jorge, Miguel, Andres, Jose, Juan, Manuel, Ramon, Ruben, Angel, Blanca Estela.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Benavente in the United States?

Based on the decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Benavente has seen a noticeable increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, this surname ranked 17,813 in terms of frequency, but by 2010 it had climbed to the rank of 15,409, representing a 13.5 percent change. The count of individuals with this surname also rose from 1,449 in 2000 to 1,901 in 2010, indicating a 31.19 percent increase. Likewise, the proportion of people with the surname Benavente per 100,000 increased by 18.52 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#17,813#15,40913.5%
Count1,4491,90131.19%
Proportion per 100k0.540.6418.52%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Benavente

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Benavente as per the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander remained relatively stable, with a small increase from 19.39 percent to 19.52 percent. Those identifying with two or more races saw a significant jump from 3.66 percent to 5.94 percent, a change of 62.30 percent. Conversely, individuals identifying as White decreased from 10.90 percent to 8.26 percent, a decrease of -24.22 percent. The surname's association with Hispanic ethnicity was dominant and slightly increased, moving from 65.29 percent to 65.75 percent. There were no individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
Hispanic65.29%65.75%0.7%
Asian/Pacific Islander19.39%19.52%0.67%
White10.9%8.26%-24.22%
Two or More Races3.66%5.94%62.3%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%