Bentely
A masculine name of English origin meaning "clearing in the bent grass".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Bentely. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bentely today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bentely births was 2011 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bentely. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bentely. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2011
6 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2011 SSA rank
#10,973
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Bentely: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bentely by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bentely during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bentely
The name Bentely originates from the Old English words "benne" meaning "grassy hill" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow." It is believed to have emerged as a surname in England during the 11th century, derived from place names such as Bentley or Bentleigh, villages where the inhabitants lived near grassy hills and meadows.
While the name Bentely is not found in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented as a given name in various historical records and accounts throughout the centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 14th century, when a man named Bentely Staunton was mentioned in the Coventry Leet Book of 1345-1346, a record of court proceedings and municipal affairs in Coventry, England.
In the late 16th century, a prominent figure named Bentely Mundy (1529-1606) gained recognition as a composer and lutenist during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His compositions were highly regarded and performed at the English court.
During the 17th century, Bentely Greatorex (1619-1683) was a noted English mathematician and astronomer. He served as a Fellow of the Royal Society and made significant contributions to the fields of navigation and timekeeping.
In the 18th century, Bentely Thompson (1735-1794) was a British naval officer who achieved the rank of Rear Admiral. He played a crucial role in several battles during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
Another notable figure was Bentely Priaulx (1807-1878), a British lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of Jersey and was elected as a Deputy to the States of Jersey (the island's parliament) in 1857.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the given name Bentely. While it may not have been a widely popular name, it has been documented in various contexts, reflecting its enduring presence in certain regions and time periods.
People
Bentely + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bentely as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bentely: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bentely?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bentely going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Bentely a common name?
We classify Bentely as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bentely most popular?
The single biggest year for Bentely was 2011, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bentely is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bentely in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bentely a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bentely in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bentely still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bentely in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bentely can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Bentely?
Want to know how many Americans are named Bentely? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.