Benoit

Benoit is a name of French origin used as both a given name and a surname. Etymology: It derives from the Latin Benedictus, meaning blessed, and entered Old French as Benoit/Benoît before evolving into its modern spellings. Variants and spellings include Benoît (with a circumflex) in French and the unaccented Benoit in English contexts; Benoist is a related surname form.

Usage: The name is common in France, Belgium, and Canada, particularly in Quebec, and it appears in many other French-speaking communities worldwide.

Notable people: Notable individuals with the given name or surname include the mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot (1924–2010), who helped popularize fractal geometry, and the French politician Benoît Hamon (born 1967), a former presidential candidate.

Other uses: There are toponyms and institutions in Francophone regions bearing the name, such as Saint-Benoît in various communes.

See also: Related surnames include Benoist.