Where the Di Benedetto surname comes from
Di Benedetto is a patronymic surname: it means “son of Benedetto.” Medieval registers wrote “Giovanni di Benedetto,” and that “di Benedetto” stayed with the family. The name comes from the Latin benedictus, “blessed,” that is, protected by God. It was a name that already held a good wish. Patronymics with Di are typical of the South, and of Sicily in particular.
The black saint of Palermo
Sicily has a Benedetto all its own. He was born in the 1500s in the Nebrodi mountains to parents brought from Africa as slaves, and he became one of the patron saints of Palermo. The PDF tells his story, along with that of the monk who made the name famous all over Europe.
Where the Di Benedettos live today
Di Benedetto is a surname found all over Italy, but its heart is Sicily. By estimates, there are about 5,000 families in Italy. More than one Di Benedetto in four lives in Sicily, mostly in the provinces of Catania and Palermo. Next come Campania, Apulia and Abruzzo, where the surname is surprisingly strong. In the United States nearly everyone writes it as one word: DiBenedetto. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world they reached are in the PDF.
Variants
The same name gave different forms: with De instead of Di, joined, in the plural and in Latin. The PDF explains where each one comes from.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Di Benedetto | Sicily, Campania, Apulia |
| Benedetti | Tuscany, Lazio, Lombardy |
| Benedetto | Piedmont, Apulia |
| De Benedictis | Apulia, Lazio, Abruzzo |
| De Benedetto | Apulia, Calabria |
FAQ
What does the surname Di Benedetto mean?
“Son of Benedetto.” The name comes from the Latin benedictus, “blessed,” that is, protected by God. In some cases the surname may also have been born directly as a good wish.
Is Di Benedetto a Sicilian surname?
Mostly. More than one Di Benedetto in four lives in Sicily, especially in the provinces of Catania and Palermo. The surname is also strong in Campania, Apulia and Abruzzo.
Are Di Benedetto and Dibenedetto the same surname?
Yes. Until the 1800s the surname was written by whoever kept the register. The same family can appear as two words, as one, or with De instead of Di. The joined form is common in Apulia.
Are Di Benedetto and Benedetti the same surname?
They come from the same name, Benedetto. Benedetti, ending in -i, is the form of Central and Northern Italy and the most numerous cousin.
Are all Di Benedettos related?
No. In many towns there was a Benedetto who passed his name to his children, and two Di Benedetto families can have very different stories. To trace your own you need birth records and parish registers.
Is the Di Benedetto surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t indicate nobility: it comes from a very common personal name. It was carried by families of every walk of life: farmers, craftsmen, fishermen, tailors.
Is there a Di Benedetto family coat of arms?
A coat of arms belonged to one specific branch of a family. No single coat of arms belongs to every Di Benedetto, and most families never had one.
