Show ContentsBenigno History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Benigno means "benign," "friendly," or "harmless." The name therefore probably originated as a nickname for a man who displayed those characteristics.

Early Origins of the Benigno family

The surname Benigno was first found in Sicily (Italian: Sicilia), the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The name was found early on in all parts of Italy, though it is especially common on the island of Sicily, where its most common form has always been Benigno. This form of the name is also common elsewhere in the southern part of mainland Italy, whereas the variations which end in "i" are more common in the north. The name means "benign," "friendly," or "harmless." The name therefore probably originated as a nickname for a man who displayed those characteristics.

Early History of the Benigno family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Benigno research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1200 and 1697 are included under the topic Early Benigno History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Benigno Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Benigni, Benigno, Benignetti and others.

Early Notables of the Benigno family

More information is included under the topic Early Benigno Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Benigno migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Benigno Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Benigno Benigno, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1868 1
Benigno Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Ruggiero Ernesto Benigno, who arrived in New York in 1913 on board the SS Italia

Contemporary Notables of the name Benigno (post 1700) +

  • Cristoforo Benigno Crespi (1833-1920), Italian entrepreneur
  • Benigno Luigi Papa (1935-2023), Italian Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop of Taranto from 1990 to 2011 and Bishop of Oppido Mamertina-Palmi from 1981 to 1990
  • Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (1960-2021), also known as PNoy, and Noynoy, a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016
  • Benigno Padilla, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 1928
  • Benigno 'Nino' Lema Mejuto (b. 1964), Spanish retired footballer
  • Benigno Carlos Hernandez (b. 1917), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, 1967-69 2
  • Benigno Cárdenas Hernández (1862-1954), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Mexico, 1912, 1916; U.S. Representative from New Mexico at-large, 1915-17, 1919-21 2
  • Benigno Bossi (1727-1800), Italian engraver, painter, and stucco artist
  • Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. (1932-1983), Filipino Senator and a former Governor of Tarlac
  • Benigno Ferreira (1846-1920), Paraguayan president


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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