Bennington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Anglo-Saxon name Bennington comes from the Latin personal name Benedictus, which means blessed.
Early Origins of the Bennington family
The surname Bennington was first found in Hertfordshire at Benington (Bennington), a parish, in the hundred of Broadwater where Almar de Benintone 1 was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. Benington and Long Bennington can be found in the Borough of Boston in Lincolnshire and this is presumably a later branch of the family as Alan de Beninton was listed there in the Assize Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1218. 2
Both place name literally mean "farmstead associated with a man call Beonna," from the Old English personal name "-ing" + "tun. 3
The Lincolnshire branch have by far the most number of entries in the 13th century. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Alice de Bennington and Astin de Bennington in Lincolnshire and the another roll lists Alan de Bennington and Ralph de Bennington at about the same time in the same shire. 4
Early History of the Bennington family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bennington research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1647 is included under the topic Early Bennington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bennington Spelling Variations
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Bennington has appeared include Benington, Bennington and others.
Early Notables of the Bennington family
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bennington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bennington Ranking
In the United States, the name Bennington is the 9,058th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5
Bennington migration to the United States +
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Bennington arrived in North America very early:
Bennington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Samuel Bennington, who landed in Maryland in 1666 6
Bennington Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- George Bennington, who settled in Savannah Georgia in 1775
Bennington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Bennington, who arrived in New York City in 1821
- William Bennington, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1859 6
Bennington migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Bennington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Daniel Bennington, English convict from Gloucester, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Bennington 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:
Bennington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Thomas J Bennington, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Patriot
- Mr. John Bennington, (b. 1812), aged 38, British agricultural labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 8
- Mrs. Ann Bennington, (b. 1818), aged 32, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 8
- Mr. John Bennington, (b. 1838), aged 12, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 8
- Miss Ann Bennington, (b. 1840), aged 10, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Bennington (post 1700) +
- Chester Charles Bennington (1976-2017), American musician, vocalist and actor, lead singer of the rock band Linkin Park
- James Arnold Bennington (b. 1970), American jazz drummer
- Alfred J. Bennington, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New Jersey 2nd District, 1986 9
- Lynne Bennington, Australian head of the School of Management, RMIT University Melbourne
- Elisabeth "Lisa" Bennington, American politician, Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 21st District
- Seddon L. Bennington (1947-2009), New Zealand museum executive
- David Bennington Weatherhead (1928-2012), Canadian Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons
- Bennington R. Bedle, American politician, U.S. Consul in Sheffield, 1897
Citations +
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "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)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html