Find out how popular the last name Bench is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bench.

Bench, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bench surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bench in America

Bench is the 10565th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bench surname appeared 3,033 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bench.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bench to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bench

The surname Bench is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English word "benc," meaning a long seat or bench. This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who made or worked with benches, perhaps a carpenter or a woodworker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bench can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "Benc." This suggests that the name was already in use by the 13th century. In the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1327, the name appears as "Atte Benche," which further reinforces its occupational origins.

The Bench surname is also linked to various place names in England, such as Bench Farm in Hertfordshire and Bench Meadow in Oxfordshire. These place names likely originated from the presence of benches or benched areas in those locations.

Several notable individuals have borne the Bench surname throughout history. One of the earliest was John Bench (c. 1300-1367), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in the 14th century. Another prominent figure was William Bench (1470-1545), a wealthy English merchant and benefactor who founded the Bench's Charity in Middlesex.

In the 17th century, Samuel Bench (1622-1693) was an English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "A Briefe Description of the Last Voyage of Sir Francis Drake." Thomas Bench (1670-1738) was an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Wyton in Huntingdonshire.

More recently, Francis Elgar Bench (1801-1863) was an English artist and illustrator, renowned for his landscapes and portraits. He exhibited works at the Royal Academy and the British Institution.

Despite its English origins, the Bench surname has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, carried by descendants of early English settlers and immigrants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bench

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bench.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bench was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bench has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bench was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bench, please contact us.

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