Benedict

Benedict meaning

Benedict is a Christian boy's name of Latin origin.

Blessed one; from benedico, 'to bless'

Benedict comes from Latin Benedictus, 'blessed'. It is the participle of benedico, literally 'to speak well of', which in Church Latin came to mean 'to bless', and Lewis & Short record benedictus in Christian writing as 'a blessed one', as in Matthew 25:34. The name belongs above all to St Benedict of Nursia, the sixth-century founder of Western monasticism, and it was taken by sixteen popes, most recently Benedict XVI. Indian Catholic families in Kerala, Goa and Mangalore use it, sometimes shortened to Benny.

Source: Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary (1879), s.v. benedico · entry benedico; bene-dictus · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Lewis & Short, benedico (alatius.com) · Logeion, benedictus (Gaffiot; Du Cange)

Famous namesakes

• St Benedict of Nursia, founder of the Benedictine order
• Pope Benedict XVI

Popularity abroad

• #814 United States, boys 2025 (up 100 from 914 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #702 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Benedict · Benedick · Benedetto

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