Beneš (feminine Benešová) is a common Czech and Slovak surname. The surname was derived from the shortened Czech form of the given name Benedict (Latin name of meaning "blessed", see also the surname Benedict). In the old Czech orthography the word was written as Beness, the

Germanized Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In ling ...

form is Benesch. Notable people with the surname include: *

Alan Benes Alan Paul Benes (born January 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2003 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. He stood at and weighed . Amateur car ...

(born 1972), American Major League Baseball pitcher *

Andy Benes Andrew Charles Benes (born August 20, 1967) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1989 to 2002, most prominently as a member of the San Diego Padres where he was named ...

(born 1967), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Bedřich Beneš (born 1967), Czech-American computer scientist *

Božena Benešová Božena Benešová, née Zapletalová (30 November 1873, Nový Jičín – 8 April 1936, Prague), was a Czech author and poet whose work is considered to have been at the forefront of psychological prose. The greater part of her youth was spent i ...

(1873–1936), Czech poet and author *

Edvard Beneš Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 1945 ...

(1884–1948), leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement and the second President of Czechoslovakia *

Emilie Benes Brzezinski Emilie Beneš Brzezinski (born Emilie Anna Beneš; January 21, 1932 – July 22, 2022) was a Swiss-American sculptor and the wife of Zbigniew Brzezinski. Education and career Emilie Beneš was born in Geneva, Switzerland. She earned a fine ar ...

(born 1932), American sculptor and widow of Zbigniew Brzezinski *

Hana Benešová Hana Benešová (born 19 April 1975 in Čáslav) is a retired Czech sprinter who competed in the 200 and 400 metres. She represented her country at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, as well as four consecutive World Championships, starting in ...

, Czech athlete * Ivan Beneš, Czech basketball player and coach *

Iveta Benešová Iveta Benešová () (formerly Melzer, cs, Melzerová; born 1 February 1983) is a Czech former tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of seven and turned professional in 1998. She won two WTA Tour singles and 14 doubles tournaments, and ...

(born 1983), Czech professional tennis player * Jan Beneš (1936–2007), Czech writer, translator, publicist and screenwriter * Jan Beneš (born 1987), Czech orienteering junior world champion * Joan Benesh (1920–2014), British ballet dancer * Josef Beneš (1902–1984), Czech linguist *

Juraj Beneš Juraj Beneš (2 March 1940 in Trnava, Slovak State – 11 September 2004 in Bratislava, Slovakia) was a Slovak composer, teacher, and pianist. He graduated from the university called Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU) and was a p ...

(1940–2004), Slovak opera and orchestral composer *

Ladislav Beneš Ladislav Beneš (born 9 July 1943 in Zlín) is a Czechoslovak handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (ger ...

(born 1943) Czech handball player *

Libuše Benešová Libuše Benešová (born 5 July 1948) is a Czech politician who served as the President of the Senate from 1998 to 2000. Benešová was elected Senator from Benešov Benešov (; german: Beneschau; also known as Benešov u Prahy) is a town in ...

, Czech politician *

Lubomír Beneš Lubomír Beneš (7 November 1935, Prague – 12 September 1995, Roztoky) was a Czech animator, director, and author, best known as the co-creator of ''Pat & Mat'', an animated series about two highly inventive, yet incredibly clumsy handymen neigh ...

(1935–1995) Czech animator, director and author * Luděk Beneš Czechoslovak slalom canoer * (born 1960), Czech animator who worked in Pat and Mat, and Club of the Discarded (1989) *

Marie Benešová Marie Benešová (born 17 April 1948) is a Czech politician and lawyer who served as Minister of Justice under Prime Minister Andrej Babiš Andrej Babiš (; born 2 September 1954) is a Czech politician and businessman of Slovak descent who s ...

, Czech politician *

Marijan Beneš Marijan Beneš (11 June 1951 – 4 September 2018) was a Yugoslav Boxing, boxer from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is considered one of the best boxers in Yugoslav history. After a brilliant amateur career, culminating in the gold medal ...

(born 1951), Yugoslav boxer *

Pavel Beneš Pavel Beneš (14 June 1894 in Prague - 31 May 1956 in Prague) was a chief designer at ČKD-Praga, one of the largest engineering companies in the former Czechoslovakia and today's Czech Republic. Beneš was first a founder and chief designer at Av ...

chief designer at ČKD-Prague * Petr Beneš, Czech volleyball player *

Rudolf Benesh Rudolf Benesh (16 January 1916 – 3 May 1975) was a British mathematician who created the ''Benesh Movement Notation'' for dancing. Biography Rudolf Benesh was son of a Czech father and an Anglo-Italian mother. He worked as a mathematician w ...

(1916–1975), British mathematician, co-inventor of

Benesh Movement Notation Benesh Movement Notation (BMN), also known as Benesh notation or choreology, is a dance notation system used to document dance and other types of human movement. Invented by Joan and Rudolf Benesh in the late 1940s, the system uses abstract symbo ...

Svatopluk Beneš Svatopluk Beneš (24 February 1918 – 27 April 2007) was a Czechoslovak film actor. He appeared in 90 films and television shows between 1934 and 2003. Selected filmography * ''Pacientka Dr. Hegla'' (1940) * ''Pohádka máje'' (1940) * ''L ...

, (1918–2007), Czech actor * Thomas A. Benes, (1951–2014) United States Marine Corps general *

Václav Beneš Třebízský Václav Beneš Třebízský (27 February 1849 in Třebíz – 20 June 1884 in Mariánské Lázně) was a Czech novelist. He is the author of numerous historical novels and children's stories. His best novel is arguably ''In the Early Evening of ...

(1849–1884) Czech novelist * Vaclav E. Benes (born 1931), American mathematician, developer of the Benes network * Vít Beneš, Czech association footballer *

Vojta Beneš Vojta Beneš (11 May 1878 – 20 November 1951) was a Czech educator, political leader in Czechoslovakia and brother of Edvard Beneš. Life and career Vojta Beneš was born in Kožlany, Bohemia, then a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Ben ...

(1878–1951), Czechoslovak educator and political leader, brother of Edvard Beneš Fictional characters: * Alton Benes, Elaine Benes's father on ''Seinfeld'' *

Elaine Benes Elaine Marie Benes () is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'', played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend in the sitcom is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld, and she is also good friends with George Costanza ...

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), ''The New Adventures ...

' character on ''Seinfeld'' * Jan Benes, the comatose scientist in ''

Fantastic Voyage ''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who are shrunk to microscop ...

'' portrayed by

Jean Del Val Jean Del Val (born Jean Jacques Gauthier; 17 November 1891 – 13 March 1975) was a French-born actor, also credited as Jean Gauthier and Jean Gautier. Career He played roles during the Hollywood silent era, beginning with ''The Fortunes of F ...

Sandra Benes ''Space: 1999'' is a British science-fiction television programme that ran for two series from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, set in the year 1999, nuclear waste stored on the Moon's far side explodes, knocking the Moon out of orbit an ...

, a character on '' Space: 1999''

See also