2000
#7,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,215
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Bent
An English surname derived from the Old English word "benet," meaning "bent grass" or referring to someone who lived near a bent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,352 Americans carry the last name Bent. That puts it at #6,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bent 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 Bent with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 64,042
Census rank
#6,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,667 bearers of the surname Bent in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bent, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.8%) and Hispanic (7.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bent
The surname "BENT" is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bente," which means a coarse grass or reed. It is likely that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who lived near an area overgrown with reeds or coarse grass.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest known record of surnames in England, there are several entries with variations of the name, such as "Bente" and "Bente de la Bente." These early spellings suggest that the name was initially a descriptive one, referring to a person's proximity to a specific location or feature.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "BENT" was William Bent, who lived in Berkshire, England, in the 13th century. His name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England at the time.
Another notable figure with the surname "BENT" was John Bent, a 14th-century English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the time, including the City of London's Letter Books.
In the 16th century, the name "BENT" was also found in various place names in England, such as Bentley and Bentworth, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the Old English word "bente."
Sir John Bent (1565-1618) was a prominent English politician and landowner during the reign of King James I. He served as a Member of Parliament for Kent and was knighted in 1603.
Samuel Bent (1776-1842) was an English inventor and engineer who is credited with developing the world's first successful working model of a patented machine for producing continuous lengths of flat iron bars, known as the "flat bar mill."
Silas Bent (1768-1854) was an American Revolutionary War soldier and early pioneer who settled in the Missouri Territory. He is known for establishing the Bent's Old Fort, an important trading post on the Santa Fe Trail.
The surname "BENT" has been carried by various notable individuals throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence in the English-speaking world. While its origins may have been humble, referring to someone living near reeds or coarse grass, the name has since gained a rich historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bent
Among Census respondents with the surname Bent, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.8%) and Hispanic (7.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bent 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 Bent surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.4% · 2,630
- Black or African American30.8% · 1,436
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 344
- Two or more races4.1% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bent
Bent 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
#7,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,785
+570 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Up 291 places
2020
#6,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,667
-118 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,292 | 4,215 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,001 | 4,785 | 1.62 | +570 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 291 places |
| 2020 | #6,935 | 4,667 | 1.56 | -118 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 66 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 Bent 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 | #7,001 | #6,935 | 0.9% |
| Count | 4,785 | 4,667 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.56 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bent bearers went from 4,785 to 4,667 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,001 to #6,935.
FAQ
Bent surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bent?
Name Census estimates that about 5,352 living Americans carry the surname Bent. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,042 residents.
How common is Bent?
Bent ranks #6,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,667 people with the surname Bent. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bent.
Has Bent become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bent went from 4,785 recorded bearers to 4,667. That is a decrease of 118 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,001 to #6,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Bent?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bent, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.4%. The next largest groups are Black (30.8%) and Hispanic (7.4%). 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 Bent in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.4% (2,630 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bent appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.4%), Black (30.8%), Hispanic (7.4%). 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 Bent (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 Bent mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "benet," meaning "bent grass" or referring to someone who lived near a bent. 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 Bent (1.56 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 people have the last name Bent?
You can see how many people have the last name Bent on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.