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

Bendolph, 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 Bendolph surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bendolph in America

Bendolph is the 59171st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bendolph surname appeared 342 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bendolph.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bendolph 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 Bendolph

The surname Bendolph originated in the north of England during the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "benda" meaning "bend" and "hyll" meaning "hill". This suggests the name was initially given as a topographic description to someone who lived near a distinctively curved hill.

Early records show variations in spelling such as Bendolfe, Bendolf, and Bendolphe. The first known recording of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Godric Bendolf was listed as holding estates in Yorkshire.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Bendolph, a knight who fought in the Crusades. He was captured during the Siege of Acre in 1191 and held for ransom by Saladin's forces. Upon his release, he returned to his family lands near the village of Bendolphby in Northumberland.

During the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, a John Bendolph served as a captain in the Lancastrian army under Henry VI. He was killed at the Battle of Towton in 1461.

In the 16th century, the Bendolph family established itself in Wiltshire. A prominent member was Thomas Bendolph (1523-1588), who became the Bishop of Salisbury and played a role in the establishment of Protestant reforms under Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure was the composer William Bendolph (1609-1680), who served as the organist at Magdalen College, Oxford. His compositions for the church and court were widely performed during the Restoration period.

By the 17th century, some members of the family had migrated to the American colonies. Records show a Nathaniel Bendolph was among the early settlers of Virginia, arriving in 1635 and establishing a plantation along the James River.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bendolph

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

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 Bendolph 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 Bendolph 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 Bendolph was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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