Benedict

Where Benedict comes from

From Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine Order, from Late Latin Benedictus, from benedictus (“blessed, well spoken of”), from Latin benedīcō (“to bless, to speak well of”). Doublet of Bennett, Benoit, and Benito.
— Wiktionary's entry for Benedict
  • Latin
  • 3 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1280
    Benedict XII born
    pope of the Catholic Church 1334–1342
  2. 1882
    First appearance
    #691 among boys, 8 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1914
    Peak, #447
    115 babies named Benedict — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1968
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #968.
  5. 1976
    Benedict Cumberbatch born
    English actor
In the dictionary
  • A male given name from Latin, particularly of the sixth-century founder of the Benedictine order, and of several popes.
Namesakes
  • Benedict Cumberbatch · English actor, born 1976
  • Benedict XII · pope of the Catholic Church 1334–1342, 1280–1342
  • Benedict III · pope, 810–858
  • Benedict XI · pope of the Catholic Church from 1303 to 1304, 1240–1304
  • Benedict Anderson · American political scientist, 1936–2015

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.