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Gender: Male Meaning of Benedict: "blessed" Origin of Benedict: Latin

Benedict Origin and Meaning

The name Benedict is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "blessed".

Parents who like Ben and Benjamin but find those forms too popular sometimes consider Benedict as a more distinctive choice. Unlike the Old Testament Benjamin, Benedict is the name of the saint who formed the Benedictine Order and of fifteen popes,including a recent one.

Shakespeare used a variant form--Benedick--for the character in Much Ado About Nothing. Other options are Bennett and Benno.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a rising British stage, film and TV actor, who has been seen as Stephen Hawking, William Pitt, Dr. Frankenstein, Frankenstein's monster, and currently as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series.

Just one caveat: There is the link to that infamous traitor Benedict Arnold.

16 names similar to Benedict

These 16 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Benedict. If you didn't find an alternative name that you like better than Benedict, try our name generator. It allows you to go beyond the similarities of a name, which can provide a lot of inspiration!

Find other names based on Benedict using our baby name generator.

Lists containing Benedict

Benedict in Blog Posts

Popularity

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Famous People Named Benedict

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Saint Benedict of Nursia, Italian patron of Europe and students
Benedict I-XVI, popes (latest resigned 2013)
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch, English actor
Benedict Arnold, American Revolutionary general and traitor
Benedict Biscop, Anglo-Saxon abbot
Benedict "Ben" Carpenter, English sculptor
Benedict Martin Paul "Ben" Mulroney, Canadian TV presenter
Joseph Benedict "Ben" Chifley, 16th prime minister of Australia
Benedict Joseph Semmes, Jr., American admiral
Benedict Wong, English actor

Pop Culture References for the name Benedict

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Benedict, character in opera "Beatrice et Benedict" by Hector Berlioz
Benedict Copeland, character in Carson McCullers' "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"
Benedict of Amber, character in the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Benedict aka Father, character in animated series "Codename: Kids Next Door"
Nicholas Benedict, character in "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Terry Benedict, villain in movie "Ocean's Eleven"
Eggs benedict, breakfast dish

Nicknames & Variations for Benedict

Bennett, Ben, Bendick, Dix, Dick, Bendict, Benedikte, Bennet, Benedykt, Betto, Bennedikt, Bennt, Benny, Bennedict, Bennie, Bennito

Benedict's International Variations

Benedetto (Italian) Bence, Bendek (Hungarian) Beng (Swedish) Benedikt, Venya, Venka, Venedikt (Russian) Bendik (Norwegian) Benôit (French) Benneit (Scottish Gaelic) Venedict (Greek) Benke, Benedek, Benedik (Eastern European) Bendt (Danish)

Comments

AllysonKristina Says:

2019-04-09T02:16:05

Eggs and a traitor? This is going to be a no for me.

Netta5187 Says:

2017-04-21T02:32:35

I associate this name with my patron saint, St. Benedict, the founder of western Monasticism.

tfzolghadr Says:

2016-07-20T10:07:15

Being American, it's still waaay too Benedict Arnold. Unfortunately, even Mr. Cumberbatch is not powerful enough to weaken that association...

WiseBird39 Says:

2016-03-23T23:40:33

I think that this name would be totally doable in the modern world, what with Benedict Cumberbatch and the nickname "Ben". Benedict also goes very well with some more modern names as middles, which help freshen it up even further. This name deserves a comeback!

EW314 Says:

2016-02-03T08:27:08

I've never liked this name due to negative personal associations, but just recently it's really been growing on me. I like Benjamin too, but Benedict just feels a lot more grown-up, refined and distinctive. Benedict Cumberbatch has definitely helped with my Benedict epiphany!

Davem Says:

2015-02-08T20:01:20

Never heard of Benedict Arnold. Love the name and Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Allen!

headintheclouds Says:

2015-02-01T05:54:08

This is a pretty popular name amongst the Catholic side of my extended family- I have four younger relatives of varying ages and familial connections named Benedict, all nicknamed Ben! I think Ned would also make a great and more unexpected nickname.

I think it's a handsome and strong name, and since I'm not American, I don't associate it with the Benedict Arnold connection at all. I mostly think of saints, family members and the Catholic association, and a little of Benedict Cumberbatch too (love him!).

Nooshi Says:

2014-05-19T02:17:43

I know, I used to hate the name until I saw Sherlock. Now I absolutely love it.

Guest Says:

2014-05-01T04:57:57

The credit goes to Benedict Cumberbatch for making this name so appealing and weakening the association with Benedict Arnold.