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Benning History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Benning History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland

The surname Benning is derived from the Germanic given name Berno, which is derived from the Old German word bero, which means bear. This makes this name a patronymic surname; that is, derived from the personal name of an ancestor. Patronymic surnames arose out of the vernacular and religious given name traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Vernacular names that were derived from ancient Germanic personal names have cognates in most European languages. For example, the court of Charlemagne (742-814) was Christian and Latin-speaking, but the Frankish dialect of Old German was commonly used for personal names. Vernacular names were also widespread in Germany. As a result, many typical English and French names are of Germanic origin and have cognates in other European languages.

Early Origins of the Benning family

The surname Benning was first found in northern Germany, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. They branched into several houses, and their contributions were sought by many leaders in their search for power. Chronicles first mention Ludolf Benning of Stralsund in Pomerania around 1288. In Wuerttemberg, two separate towns took on the name Benningen, although their relation to any of the branches of the family is difficult to determine.

Early History of the Benning family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Benning research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1745 and 1813 are included under the topic Early Benning History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Benning Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Benning, Benne, Benningen, Benninger, Beningene, Bennigen, Bennig, Benniger, Benigen, Benig, Beninga (East Friesland), Benningsen and many more.

Early Notables of the Benning family

Prominent bearers of the name Benning at this time were

Levin August Gottlieb von Benningsen (b.1745), the famous general of the Russian calvary, who, as general of the Polish forces was made a count of Russia by the Russia emperor Alexander in 1813 while...

Benning Ranking

In the United States, the name Benning is the 8,859^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Benning migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Benning Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ralph Benning, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1663 2

Benning Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Benning, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Benning Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Herm Benning, who arrived in America in 1842 2
M Adelheid Benning, who landed in America in 1844 2
Christ Benning, who arrived in America in 1844 2
Elis Benning, who arrived in America in 1845 2
Engelbert Benning, who arrived in America in 1845 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benning migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Benning Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Benning, aged 6 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing 15th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th August 1847 but he died on board 3

Benning 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:

Benning Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Benning, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870

Benning migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Benning Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Benning who settled in Barbados in 1635
Elizabeth Benning, aged 18, who landed in Barbados in 1635 2
MissElizabeth Benning, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Benning (post 1700) +

Sadie Benning (b. 1973), American musician and visual artist
Norm Benning (b. 1952), American NASCAR owner/driver
Joseph Charles "Joe" Benning (b. 1956), American politician, Minority Leader of the Vermont Senate (2018-2021)
James Benning (b. 1942), American film director who has made over twenty-five feature-length films
Henry L. Benning (1814-1875), American Confederate general, lawyer and legislator
Henry Arthur Benning (1879-1962), American vice-president and general manager of the Amalgamated Sugar Company
Henry Louis Benning (1814-1875), American Democratic Party politician, Justice of Georgia State Supreme Court, 1853-59; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1860; Delegate to Georgia secession convention, 1861 6
Diane Benning, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 2004 6
Deborah Benning, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 2004 6
Achim Benning (1935-2024), German actor and theatre director
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 65)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html