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 n ...

(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 194 ...

(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 a ...

(born 1932), American sculptor and widow of Zbigniew Brzezinski * Hana Benešová, Czech athlete *

Ivan Beneš Ivan Beneš (born 17 February 1960 in Prague) is a Czech former basketball player and currently coach of the Czech national team, which he coached at the EuroBasket Women 2017. References Czech men's basketball players Czech basketball co ...

, 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 Josef Beneš (11 January 1902 in Prachatice – 17 December 1984 in Prague) was a linguist from Czechoslovakia, specialising in anthroponymy and onomastics. Beneš studied Bohemistics and Germanistics at the Charles University in Prague, ending ...

(1902–1984), Czech linguist * Juraj Beneš (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. He was part of the Czechoslovak team which won the silver medal at the Munich Games. He played all six matches and scor ...

(born 1943) Czech handball player * Libuše Benešová, Czech politician * Lubomír Beneš (1935–1995) Czech animator, director and author *

Luděk Beneš Luděk Beneš is a retired slalom canoeist who competed fro Czechoslovakia from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. He won six medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with three golds (C-1 team: 1955, 1959, 1965), two silvers (C-1: 1955, 1 ...

Czechoslovak slalom canoer * (born 1960), Czech animator who worked in Pat and Mat, and Club of the Discarded (1989) * Marie Benešová, Czech politician * Marijan Beneš (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 Petr Beneš (; born 27 November 1974) is a Czech beach volleyball player. He played with Přemysl Kubala at the 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was ...

, 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 mathematicia ...

(1916–1975), British mathematician, co-inventor of Benesh Movement Notation * Svatopluk Beneš, (1918–2007), Czech actor *

Thomas A. Benes Thomas Anthony Benes (June 8, 1951 – September 30, 2014) was a major general in the United States Marine Corps. Career After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he was commissioned through the Platoon Leaders Class program ...

, (1951–2014) United States Marine Corps general * Václav Beneš Třebízský (1849–1884) Czech novelist * Vaclav E. Benes (born 1931), American mathematician, developer of the Benes network *

Vít Beneš Vít Beneš (born 12 August 1988) is a Czech footballer who currently plays for Sigma Olomouc in the Czech First League. Career In June 2013, he was chased by Sparta Prague but the Jablonec owner decided not to sell him because of the Europea ...

, Czech association footballer * Vojta Beneš (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 Costan ...

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 Adventure ...

' 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 Fif ...

* Sandra Benes, a character on '' Space: 1999''

See also