Lent
A surname most likely marking someone born during Lent, the Christian season before Easter.
The #7,652 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,123 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally taken from the Christian season of Lent, used as a byname for someone born in, or otherwise associated with, that time of year. The historical records cited by older surname dictionaries treat it as a baptismal or calendrical nickname, like Christmas or Easter. The word itself comes through Middle English from Old English and ultimately from a Germanic root meaning “spring,” reflecting the lengthening days of the season.
History
Bardsley records early medieval bearers such as William Lent in Oxfordshire in the 12th century, showing the surname was established in England quite early. Later writers also note related place-name forms such as Lenthall, but those are separate developments rather than the core Lent surname. The name has remained relatively uncommon in modern English-speaking populations.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lent is part of a small group of surnames based on the church calendar, alongside names like Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and Midwinter.
From the historical record
“Lauy, supports the second derivation. LENT. From the season — like Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, &c. LENTPLVLL. A parish and a chapelry in CO. Hereford, The family of L. of Bessels Leigh, CO. Berks, are descended, through the celebrated speaker of the Long Parliament, and through the hero of Agiucourt, from…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom