How popular is the baby name Benedict in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Benedict.

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Popularity of the baby name Benedict


Posts that mention the name Benedict

Baby name story: Fulton

Catholic bishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979)
Fulton Sheen

On June 28, two-time Emmy Award winner Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) was declared venerable by Pope Benedict XVI.*

If he can get a confirmed miracle under his belt, he’ll be beatified. If he can get two, he’ll be canonized a Catholic saint.

One miracle currently under investigation involves a toddler who was born without a heartbeat in 2010.

His name? James Fulton Engstrom.

Ironically, the baby’s parents had decided to name him after Fulton Sheen several months before the alleged intercession took place.

Perhaps the miracle was Sheen’s way of saying thanks? :)

*Fulton Sheen won the “Most Outstanding Personality” Emmy in 1952 and 1953, beating Lucille Ball, Adlai Stevenson, Edward R. Murrow and Jimmy Durante, among others.

Sources: Archbishop Sheen decree a ‘great day’ for US Catholics, Tribunal studies healing attributed to intercession of Archbishop Sheen

Pope Benedict talks baby names

Pope Benedict XVI mentioned baby names over the weekend. Well, maybe not baby names — baptismal names is more precise. In any case, here’s what he said while baptizing a 21 infants in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday:

Every baptism should ensure that the child is given a Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit will allow the person to blossom in the bosom of the Church. Do not give your children names that are not in the Christian calendar.

I’ve seen other church officials comment on this issue, but never the Pope himself. I wonder what sort of impact it will have on Catholic parents.

BONUS: Here are some interesting quotes I collected from news articles covering this story.

The first little examples of Mela (Italian for Apple) and Pesche (Peaches) are already up and walking, say the Italian newspapers, thanks to the decisions of Gwyneth Paltrow and Bob Geldof to pick names at the greengrocer.

Celebrity baby names in translation. Trippy.

Even leading politicians have chosen unusual names. The pugnacious Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa christened his three sons Geronimo, Lorenzo Cochis and Leonardo Apache.

Geronimo and Cochise were both Apache leaders.

[Names] banned in Portugal include Lolita, Maradona and Mona Lisa.

Diego Maradona (b. 1960) is a former pro soccer player from Argentina.

Another source mentioned something about a Sue Ellen trend in Italy during the 1980s, thanks to the popularity of American TV show Dallas, but I can’t locate the original article/link.

Sources: For heaven’s sake, Pope hopes to end trend for exotic names, Pope makes a plea to parents to give their children traditional names

Popular baby names on the Isle of Man, 2007

Flag of the Isle of Man
Flag of the Isle of Man

According to the Manx General Registry, there were 918 births on the Isle of Man last year (down from 931 in 2006). Here were the most popular baby names…

Girl names

  1. Sophie, Sofie & Sofia
  2. Jessica
  3. Lily & Lillie
  4. Emily
  5. Katie & Kate
  6. Ruby
  7. Ellie & Ellen
  8. Grace
  9. Hannah & Hanna
  10. Abigail
  11. Amy
  12. Chloe

Boy names

  1. Jack
  2. Thomas
  3. Charles & Charlie
  4. Daniel
  5. Matthew
  6. Benjamin, Ben & Benedict
  7. Harry & Harold
  8. Alex & Alexander
  9. William
  10. Joseph
  11. Oliver
  12. Ryan

I find it odd that Benedict was lumped with Benjamin. They might sound similar and share the nickname “Ben,” but the two names have totally different origins: Benjamin is derived from a Hebrew name meaning either “son of the right hand” or “son of the south,” while Benedict comes from the Latin name Benedictus, meaning “blessed.”

Source: Island’s favourite baby names for 2007

Image: Adapted from Flag of the Isle of Man (public domain)