Bennington last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bennington

A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Bennington in England.

Bennington, 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 Bennington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bennington in America

Bennington is the 10090th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bennington surname appeared 3,194 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 Bennington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bennington 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 10090 9835 2.56%
Count 3,194 3,032 5.20%
Proportion per 100k 1.08 1.12 -3.64%

The history of the last name Bennington

The surname Bennington has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name Bennington, which was originally recorded as Beningwrthe in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "bening" meaning "bean" and "wurth" meaning "enclosure" or "homestead," suggesting that the name may have referred to a settlement or farm where beans were cultivated.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bennington is found in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1176, where a Geoffrey de Bennington is mentioned. During the 13th century, the surname appears in various records, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire in 1223, which lists a Robert de Benington.

The Bennington surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such notable figure was Sir John Bennington (1572-1642), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Berkshire in 1628. Another prominent individual was Robert Bennington (1667-1733), a successful merchant and benefactor who funded the construction of several churches and schools in his hometown of Bennington, Hertfordshire.

In the realm of literature, the name Bennington is linked to the English poet and playwright, William Bennington (1609-1676), who is best known for his satirical work "The Rival Poets." Additionally, the surname is associated with the English historian and antiquarian, Edward Bennington (1720-1789), whose extensive research on local history and antiquities contributed significantly to the understanding of the past.

It is also worth mentioning John Bennington (1785-1858), a prominent figure in the early days of the American West, who served as a guide and interpreter for several expeditions, including those led by Lewis and Clark. His knowledge of Native American languages and cultures proved invaluable in facilitating communication and understanding between the explorers and indigenous peoples.

While the Bennington surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with notable individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bennington

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

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 Bennington was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.12% 3,038
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.53% 17
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.44% 14
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.56% 18
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.53% 49
Hispanic Origin 1.82% 58

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 Bennington has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.12% 95.98% -0.90%
Black 0.53% 0.43% 20.83%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.44% 0.16% 93.33%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.56% 0.96% -52.63%
Two or More Races 1.53% 1.09% 33.59%
Hispanic 1.82% 1.39% 26.79%

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

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

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"Bennington last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bennington-surname-popularity/.

"Bennington last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bennington-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Bennington last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bennington-surname-popularity/.

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