Benicio is a Spanish name usually traced to the Latin bene, "good", or treated as a form of Benedict, "blessed"; it is also connected to the Italian saint Philip Benizi, whose surname gave rise to the given name. The Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro made it familiar to American audiences. In the United States Benicio was number 1328 in 2015, entered the top 1000 in 2018 and has climbed to 672 in 2025, its best rank so far.