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The Benedict surname originates from the Latin word for blessing: "Benedictus". There have been Benedicts in the Norfolk area since before the mid 1500's, located about 100 miles northeast of London, along the coast of the North Sea. There is a Benedictine church in the great city of Norwich that has been a place of worship for over 900 years and this could be the genesis of the family surname. The earliest recorded English person of Benedict surname is George Benedict, born about 1518 at Tasborough, Norfolk, England. His son George, grandson William and great grandson Thomas lived in Norfolk, raising families. Thomas, born 1617, made the voyage to the new world in 1637, accompanying his step-sister Mary Bridgham, arriving in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where they married. Thomas and Mary moved to Long Island and then settled in Danbury, Connecticut, raising five sons and four daughters. This family is the original settler for over 90 percent of the Benedicts in North America.
See also Benedetto for the Italian version.