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

Benning, 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 Benning surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Benning in America

Benning is the 9085th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Benning surname appeared 3,597 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 Benning.

We can also compare 2010 data for Benning 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 Benning

The surname Benning has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "benn" and "ing," which together roughly translate to "the dweller by the hill or ridge." This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or ridge.

In its earliest recorded form, the name was spelled "Bennynge," as evidenced by its appearance in the Domesday Book of 1086, a famous survey of land ownership and wealth commissioned by William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landowner named Robertus Bennynge in the county of Essex.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Benning, a prominent English knight who lived in the 14th century. He is recorded as having participated in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346.

Another notable individual with this surname was William Benning, a merchant and alderman in the City of London in the 16th century. He was born in 1525 and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1583-1584.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Colonel John Benning was a prominent Royalist commander who fought for King Charles I against the Parliamentarians. He was born around 1600 and was killed in action at the Battle of Alresford in 1644.

In the 18th century, Henry Benning was a successful English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Ironmongers' Hall and the Church of St. Mary Woolnoth. He was born in 1698 and died in 1776.

The surname Benning has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Benning Hill in the county of Suffolk and Benning's Green in the county of Kent. These locations may have derived their names from individuals bearing the Benning surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Benning

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

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

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

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