First found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them travelled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the Origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bentham or a variant listed above: Matthew Bentham who settled in the Barbados in 1679; James Bentham and family settled in South Carolina in 1820; Mary Bentheim settled in Edenton in North Carolina in 1820.

For more information on the last name Bentham, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.