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

Bennett, 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 Bennett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bennett in America

Bennett is the 86th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bennett surname appeared 247,599 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 84 people would have the surname Bennett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bennett 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 Bennett

The surname Bennett has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the late 11th century. The name is derived from the Old French word 'benet' or 'benet', which means 'blessed' or 'consecrated'. This was a nickname given to someone who was considered particularly pious or devout.

The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Benet'. This was a record of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The name was initially more common in the southern counties of England, particularly in Wiltshire and Hampshire.

By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its more modern spelling of 'Bennett'. This was likely due to the influence of Norman French, which was still widely spoken by the ruling classes at the time. The name was also found in various places names, such as Bennett's End in Hertfordshire and Bennett Street in London.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert Bennett, a prominent member of the Merchant Taylors' Company in London in the 15th century. Another notable figure was John Bennett, who was appointed Bishop of Hereford in 1535 and played a role in the English Reformation under Henry VIII.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, there were several notable figures with the surname Bennett. These included Richard Bennett, who served as a colonel in the Parliamentarian army, and Robert Bennett, a Royalist governor of Virginia. Another prominent figure from this period was Henry Bennett, 1st Earl of Arlington, who served as a statesman and diplomat under Charles II.

In literature, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Arnold Bennett, a novelist and playwright born in 1867. He is best known for his novels set in the Potteries district of Staffordshire, including 'The Old Wives' Tale' and the 'Clayhanger' trilogy.

Other notable individuals with the surname Bennett include James Gordon Bennett Jr., the founder of the New York Herald newspaper in the 19th century, and Tony Bennett, the celebrated American singer born in 1926.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bennett

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

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

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

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