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Bent History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Bent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Bent comes from when the family resided in Cheshire and Lancashire. Originally, the surname was derived from the Old English word beonet, which meant by the grassy plain. 1 Other records show that the name was also a nickname derived from the Christian name Bennet or Benjamin and was frequently used by the Benedictine monks.

Early Origins of the Bent family

The surname Bent was first found in Cheshire and Lancashire, but we must look to Northumberland for the first listing of the surname; for it is there that we find Nicholas Bent listed in the Assize Rolls of 1256. 1

Later, the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 in Staffordshire list Adam del Bent. 1 Robert de la Bende was listed in Shropshire during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377.) 2

James Ben, Bane, Bene, Bennet or Biort (d. 1332), was Bishop of St. Andrews, trained from his youth for the church. "As Archdeacon of St. Andrews he was sent to France in 1325, along with three other dignitaries, to renew an offensive and defensive alliance with that country. In the original document his name occurs as Bene; he is subsequently mentioned as Sir James Bane; by Fordun he is called Jacobus Benedicti; while the name on his tombstone was Jacobus dominus de Biurt. " 3

Early History of the Bent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bent research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1600 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Bent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bent Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bent has been recorded under many different variations, including Bent, Benn, Ben, Bente, Bend and others.

Early Notables of the Bent family

More information is included under the topic Early Bent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bent Ranking

In the United States, the name Bent is the 8,004^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Bent migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bent or a variant listed above:

Bent Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Martha Bent, from Hampshire, who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated, bound for Sudbury 5
Mr. Robert Bent, aged 10, from Hampshire, who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated, bound for Sudbury 5
Mr. William Bent, aged 6, from Hampshire, who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated, bound for Sudbury 5
Mr. Peter Bent, aged 4, from Hampshire, who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated, bound for Sudbury 5
Mr. John Bent, aged 2, from Hampshire, who arrived aboard the ship "Confidence" in 1638 in New England and Boston stated, bound for Sudbury 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bent Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Bent, who settled in Marlborough
Herman Bent, aged 28, who landed in Missouri in 1848 6
Major Bent, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
H K W Bent, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1871 6

Bent migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bent Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Elijah Bent, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Samuel Bent, who landed in Anapolis (Annapolis), Nova Scotia in 1760

Bent migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bent Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Bent, Irish convict who was convicted in Wexford, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1828 7
Mr. William Bent, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. James Bent, (b. 1788), aged 50, English labourer who was convicted in Maidstone, Kent, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), listed as his second time being transported no boat information, he died in 1849 just prior to his family joining him. 9
Patrick Bent, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "David Malcolm" 10
John Bent, aged 40, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Tantivy"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bent migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bent Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Bent, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wyvern" in 1856

Contemporary Notables of the name Bent (post 1700) +

Charles Bent (1799-1847), American fur trader, who was made first Governor of the New Mexico Territory
Arthur Cleveland Bent (1866-1954), American ornithologist
William W. Bent, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Bridgeport; Elected 1910 11
William H. Bent, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1888 11
Silas Bent, American politician, Postmaster at Brooke Court House, Virginia, 1801-03 11
James E. Bent, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Connecticut, 1960 (alternate), 1964; Delegate to Connecticut State Constitutional Convention 1st District, 1965 11
H. K. W. Bent, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Los Angeles, California, 1873-77 11
Daniel A. Bent, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Hawaii, 1983-93 11
Charles D. Bent, American Democratic Party politician, First Selectman of Enfield, Connecticut, 1904-11; Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Enfield, 1922 11
Bartlett Bent Jr., American Republican politician, Mayor of Middletown, Connecticut, 1867; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Connecticut, 1868, 1872; Postmaster at Middletown, Connecticut, 1869-86 11
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Bent family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. James Bent (d. 1914), British Seaman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 12

The Bent Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nec temere, nec timide
Motto Translation: Neither rashly nor timidly.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
South Australian Register Tuesday 1st May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) David Malcolm 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/davidmalcolm1855.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html