Benton
A place-based surname, usually meaning “from Benton,” a common English place-name meaning an enclosure or settlement on bent grass land.
The #912 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,144 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Benton is a locational surname taken from one or more English places called Benton, especially the one in Northumberland. The place-name is generally explained from Old English words meaning “bent grass” and “enclosure/settlement,” so the literal sense is roughly “settlement on land with bent grass.” As with many English surnames, the family name could arise independently from different Benton places.
History
The surname appears in English records as a typical local-name byname, later spreading beyond its original northern and eastern English centers. Historical surname lists show Benton as established in multiple counties, and it also traveled overseas with English and later British migration, especially to North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same surname can point to more than one village or parish called Benton, so not every Benton family necessarily shares a single medieval ancestor.
From the historical record
“Essex, Derby, Sussex, &c. BENTON. A parish in Northumb. BENIVELL. A township in Northum- berland. The Benwells were descended from the Shaftos of that county. BENYON. Ab Enion, "the son of Enion,'' a Welsh personal name. See re- marks under Bunyan, Pinion, and Onion. BERE. See Beer. De Bere, H.R.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Benton
- Robert Benton (1932–2025)
- Dave Benton (b. 1951)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.