2000
#78
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 239,055
First available Census row
Per 100,000 88.62
Common Last name
Bennett
An English surname derived from the medieval male given name Benedict, meaning "blessed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 274,523 Americans carry the last name Bennett. That puts it at #90 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 80.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,249 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bennett surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bennett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
275K
1 in 1,249
Census rank
#90
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
80.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
239K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 239,397 bearers of the surname Bennett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 80.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennett, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bennett
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennett, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bennett bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bennett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 175,594
- Black or African American17.4% · 41,592
- Two or more races4.3% · 10,231
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 8,344
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,979
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,657
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bennett
Bennett appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#86
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 247,599
+8,544 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 83.94
Rank movement Down 8 places
2020
#90
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 239,397
-8,202 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 80.09
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #78 | 239,055 | 88.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86 | 247,599 | 83.94 | +8,544 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 8 places |
| 2020 | #90 | 239,397 | 80.09 | -8,202 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 4 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bennett surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #86 | #90 | -4.7% |
| Count | 247,599 | 239,397 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 83.94 | 80.09 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bennett bearers went from 247,599 to 239,397 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #86 to #90.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bennett
FAQ
Bennett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bennett?
Name Census estimates that about 274,523 living Americans carry the surname Bennett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,249 residents.
How common is Bennett?
Bennett ranks #90 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 80.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 80 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 239,397 people with the surname Bennett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (274,523), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 80.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 80.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 80 of them to have the surname Bennett.
Has Bennett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bennett went from 247,599 recorded bearers to 239,397. That is a decrease of 8,202 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #86 to #90.
What does the Census say about the background of Bennett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennett, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bennett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (175,594 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bennett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (17.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bennett (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bennett mean?
An English surname derived from the medieval male given name Benedict, meaning "blessed." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bennett (80.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Bennett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.