Bentley Surname

6,069th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 93,188 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Fiji

Bentley Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Bentley,' parishes in Suffolk, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, and Essex; also many small hamlets in various counties. In general the surname is literally Benet-legh, i.e. 'the field of Benedict,' the first occupier; v.

Read More About This Surname

Bentley Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States53,8701:6,728791
England20,7591:2,684353
Australia7,4981:3,600505
Canada3,9921:9,2301,379
South Africa1,9751:27,4323,508
New Zealand1,0111:4,479705
Fiji6281:1,424193
Wales5951:5,201569
Scotland4501:11,8971,600
Ireland2681:17,5711,909
Jamaica2301:12,4781,261
France2281:291,32844,676
Northern Ireland1881:9,8141,570
Spain1351:346,31119,910
Thailand1231:574,29597,879
Brazil861:2,489,23675,804
Germany721:1,118,13174,279
Dominican Republic541:193,2027,170
Italy541:1,132,53173,160
Denmark531:106,5049,962
Nigeria521:3,406,592101,701
Singapore511:107,9944,447
Sweden411:240,16516,652
Kuwait391:97,45410,676
Portugal381:274,16410,086
Israel361:237,71222,042
Guyana351:21,7782,654
Isle of Man341:2,524513
Jersey301:3,307613
Belgium291:396,43641,978
Mexico261:4,774,08528,474
Netherlands261:649,50753,972
Cyprus251:35,3953,988
Qatar251:94,32010,875
Malaysia241:1,228,92653,021
Philippines241:4,218,259160,165
Switzerland241:342,20526,446
Guernsey221:2,929767
Barbados201:14,372922
Trinidad and Tobago191:71,7885,445
China161:85,457,5984,750
Gibraltar161:2,122483
India161:47,941,586492,263
United Arab Emirates161:572,64223,583
Argentina141:3,053,101127,728
Austria141:608,24554,975
Czechia131:817,95970,223
Panama121:326,0227,351
Hong Kong111:666,8623,581
Norway111:467,48139,375
Monaco91:4,118434
Samoa91:21,534479
Guam81:20,0153,029
Colombia71:6,824,86722,056
Antigua and Barbuda61:16,5281,436
Papua New Guinea61:1,358,953118,663
Costa Rica51:956,0146,058
Finland51:1,099,34045,512
Japan51:25,568,85950,629
Afghanistan41:8,038,29630,874
Bolivia41:2,654,1087,945
Ghana41:6,755,17315,406
Kenya41:11,544,97562,419
Malta41:107,5681,849
Saudi Arabia41:7,713,95437,548
Greece31:3,693,263126,191
Solomon Islands31:193,34319,495
Uganda31:13,013,093160,157
United States Virgin Islands31:36,7924,502
Algeria21:19,315,77697,017
British Virgin Islands21:15,797839
Ecuador21:7,952,92334,269
Egypt21:45,967,877132,655
Guatemala21:8,041,3349,698
Indonesia21:66,124,597756,638
Mozambique21:13,630,7847,358
Poland21:19,004,374199,659
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines21:56,3301,327
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Sri Lanka21:10,404,28018,448
Taiwan21:11,722,37363,559
Vietnam21:46,323,0275,235
Zambia21:7,924,96145,994
Anguilla11:13,436792
Azerbaijan11:9,649,12247,873
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Botswana11:2,186,92930,250
Brunei11:418,7313,893
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Burkina Faso11:18,352,10030,051
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Croatia11:4,228,60499,289
Curaçao11:157,2471,313
Djibouti11:914,9321,612
DR Congo11:73,879,570260,543
East Timor11:1,215,928507
Ethiopia11:97,546,26229,669
Georgia11:3,745,54547,852
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
Liberia11:4,408,53547,110
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
Mauritius11:1,293,41716,552
Micronesia11:106,2431,380
Montenegro11:639,5659,092
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Serbia11:7,144,94838,459
Seychelles11:92,3931,532
Togo11:7,247,76812,049
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Venezuela11:30,204,07785,459
Zimbabwe11:15,438,240133,260
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1531:28,9532,968
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England12,6121:1,933260
Wales491:32,0081,749
Scotland261:143,9706,132
Jersey51:10,3761,795
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States6,7681:7,420939

Bentley (4,182) may also be a first name.

Bentley Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Bentley,' parishes in Suffolk, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, and Essex; also many small hamlets in various counties. In general the surname is literally Benet-legh, i.e. 'the field of Benedict,' the first occupier; v. Bennet.

John de Bentelege, Derbyshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Roger de Benetlcye, Yorkshire, ibid.

William de Benetleg, Salop, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I.

William de Bentlee, Salop, ibid.

Simon de Benetl, Yorkshire, ibid.

Alicia de Benteley, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Richard de Benteley, Yorkshire, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III.

William de Benetely, Buckinghamshire, ibid.

Ricardus de Benteley, carpenlar, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1580. Edward Bentley, Warwickshire: Register of the University of Oxford.

1786. Married — John Ostler and Abigail Bentley: St. George, Hanover Square.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English) belonging to Bentley = the Bent- Grass Lea. [Old English beonet + leáh]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) One who came from Bentley (clearing overgrown with bent grass), the name of many places in England.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Parishes and places in cos. Hants, Stafford, Suffolk, Warwick, York, Essex, Derby, Sussex, &c.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Local. From bent, as above, and ley, uncultivated ground, a pasture.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

A location name in Yorkshire.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

User-submitted Reference

According to a manuscript written by Lawyer, George F. Bentley called "Genealogy of the Bentley Family", the Bentley name can be traced back to one "Drew of Bentley". Refering to 'Bentleys of Bentley-Haye", Staffordshire, England. "Bentley" is an ancient Manor and Hamlet belonging to the Parish of Wolverhampton, in the Hundred of Seisdon. It was granted by William the Conqueror to "Drew" by the services of keeping the hay for the King. Hence it is called, "Bentley-Haye".

The story of William the Conqueror granting land to one "Drew" for the services of keeping the hay for the King is repeated often as the origin of the Bentley name. However, further evidence is necessary to separate fact from legend.

We do know certain elements of this story are factual. "In 1066, William I imposed a feudal structure on England. He was the owner of all land in England by conquest. He granted land to certain of his subjects in return for services". However, the hay associated the Bentleys was not hay for horses but instead a place called the Haye of Bentley.

The Bentley Haye was given to a Dru nad de Benetlea as one of the many Sergeanties issued by kings throughout England's history and remained within the family from 1135 to 1390 [4].

Sergeanties, consisted of services due to the King of a very miscellaneous character, many of them even of a grotesque nature; but being services due to the Crown and held by an hereditary tenture, they appear always to have been very highly esteemed and in most cases were performed by men of knightly rank".

The Pipe Roll of 1164 lists "the earliest custodian of the Bentley Haye who is mentioned in the Records is one Gervase de Benetlea who was dead in II H. II. (1164) Gervase had a son named Roger. Roger is shown to be the son of Gervase by the following abstract of a deed which is taken from the Huntbach MSS. in the William Salt Library:

Roger the son of Gervase of Bentley grants to Roger his son and to his heirs all Bentley with the custody of the Hay of Bentley, with its appurtenances except the land of Richard the son of Simon and of Robert the son of Jeffrey and the land of Hyndebadeshull, and the land of Hutcheberge and the Bailiwick of Wolverhampton which he kept for his own use for his life. Witnesses:Willo filio Odonis, Willo. Ruffo et aliis".[5]

"The second Roger was dead in 12 H. III. (1228) leaving a widow, Juliana, and two sons, William and Richard." The Hundred Roll of 1255 states that William de Benetlega held a virgate of land by Sergeanty of the King for the custody of the Haye of Bentley, for which he renders one mark. His predecessor had been enfeoffed by King Henry I".

[6]

A footnote also notes that:

Shaw in his history of Staffordshire-under-Bentley states that one Dru nad held Bentley and had been enfeoffed at Bentley by the Conqueror, but the probability is that Dru was the father of Gervase and had been enfeoffed by Henry I (reign from 1100 to 1135)"[7]

- Contributed by John Betley of the Bentley Name Study.

- wjbentley

Bentley Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Bentley Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Bentley (Arabic: بنتلي, Marathi: बेनतलय) is borne by more people in The United States than any other country or territory. It can be rendered as:. Click here for other possible spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Bentley? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 6,069th most numerous surname internationally It is held by around 1 in 78,203 people. The last name is mostly found in The Americas, where 57 percent of Bentley reside; 56 percent reside in North America and 56 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Bentley is also the 107,331st most frequent first name at a global level. It is borne by 4,182 people.

The last name is most common in The United States, where it is held by 53,870 people, or 1 in 6,728. In The United States Bentley is mostly concentrated in: Georgia, where 10 percent are found, Texas, where 7 percent are found and Kentucky, where 6 percent are found. Excluding The United States this last name is found in 118 countries. It also occurs in England, where 22 percent are found and Australia, where 8 percent are found.

Bentley Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Bentley has changed through the years. In The United States the share of the population with the surname grew 796 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 165 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 1,214 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 1,731 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it grew 175 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Bentley Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the Bentley surname is chiefly Anglican (63%) in Ireland and Orthodox (100%) in Russia.

In The United States those bearing the Bentley last name are 18.27% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than the national average, with 65.04% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Bentley earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 100.26% more than the national average, earning 693,048 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 40.04% more than the national average, earning R 332,796 per year; in Colombia they earn 79.29% more than the national average, earning $40,704,400 COP per year; in United States they earn 2.94% less than the national average, earning $41,879 USD per year and in Canada they earn 5.74% more than the national average, earning $52,533 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Bentleys936/
Bentlley933/
Bentleye933/
Benthley932/
Bentliey931/
Beentley931/
Benttley930/
Bently921,177/
Bentle92557/
D'Bentley881/
Bentler861,470/
Bintley86132/
Wentley86125/
Ventley866/
Bentlay865/
Bentlei864/
Bentles863/
Benthly863/
Bentlez862/
Bemtley862/
Bentlet862/
Bentlep862/
Bentleu861/
Bentlly861/
Bentluy861/
Bentlej861/
Bhntley861/
Benntly860/
Bentlye860/
Bntle831/
Bentlett807/
Bentelle800/
Benttler800/
Bentless800/
Bentli77245/
Ventle7733/
Bentla7712/
Wentle7711/
Wently774/
Vently772/
Bintle771/
Benteller753/
Ventler7114/
Bintlep717/
Wintley712/
Benttli711/
Bentlia711/
Bentlis711/
Uentles711/
Wemtley710/
Bintler710/
Bentilla6731/
Bentelli6714/
Bentella672/
Huentler672/
Ventllie671/
Wendtler671/
Ventilly671/
Bentllis671/
Ventlett670/
Wenthler670/

Bentley Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Bentley in the Marathi language
बेनतलयbenatalaya-
Bentley in the Arabic language
بنتليbntly-

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Bentley Reference & Research

Bentley DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Bentley FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Bentley
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis