NameCensus.

UK surname

Bant

A surname originally referring to a settler or inhabitant of a wooded area.

In the 1881 census there were 242 people recorded with the Bant surname, ranking it #11,333 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 187, ranked #20,488, down from #11,333 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, St Teath and Stoke Climsland. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wychavon, Cheshire East and Salford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bant is 278 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 22.7%.

1881 census count

242

Ranked #11,333

Modern count

187

2016, ranked #20,488

Peak year

1861

278 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bant had 242 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,333 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016, ranked #20,488.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 278 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bant surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bant surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bant surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bant over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 215 #9,860
1861 historical 278 #8,998
1881 historical 242 #11,333
1891 historical 251 #12,729
1901 historical 229 #13,894
1911 historical 238 #13,356
1997 modern 185 #18,506
1998 modern 186 #18,918
1999 modern 204 #18,021
2000 modern 191 #18,752
2001 modern 182 #19,039
2002 modern 174 #19,971
2003 modern 179 #19,416
2004 modern 178 #19,603
2005 modern 169 #20,153
2006 modern 161 #20,972
2007 modern 159 #21,387
2008 modern 161 #21,431
2009 modern 167 #21,383
2010 modern 179 #20,886
2011 modern 181 #20,579
2012 modern 177 #20,836
2013 modern 181 #20,879
2014 modern 181 #21,033
2015 modern 182 #20,856
2016 modern 187 #20,488

Geography

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Where Bants are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, St Teath, Stoke Climsland, Snitterfield and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wychavon, Cheshire East, Salford, Gwynedd and Stratford-on-Avon. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 St Teath Cornwall
3 Stoke Climsland Cornwall
4 Snitterfield Warwickshire
5 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wychavon 007 Wychavon
2 Cheshire East 013 Cheshire East
3 Salford 030 Salford
4 Gwynedd 017 Gwynedd
5 Stratford-on-Avon 007 Stratford-on-Avon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bant

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bant surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bant

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bant, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Bant surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bant household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Bant is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bant is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bant falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bant is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bant, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bant

The surname BANT is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "bant," which means "band" or "ribbon." It was likely used as a nickname for someone who worked with bands or ribbons, or someone who had a distinctive band or ribbon as part of their attire.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname BANT can be found in historical records from the county of Yorkshire in northern England. In the 1379 Poll Tax returns for Yorkshire, there is a reference to a Thomas Bant residing in the village of Kildwick. This is one of the earliest known documented uses of the surname.

In the 15th century, the BANT surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls for Nottinghamshire, where a John Bant was listed as a taxpayer in the village of Sutton-in-Ashfield in 1428. This suggests that the name had spread from its Yorkshire origins to other parts of England by that time.

The BANT surname can also be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1524, where a Richard Bant was recorded as a resident of the parish of Hanbury. This indicates that the name had reached the West Midlands region of England by the early 16th century.

One notable figure with the surname BANT was John Bant (1594-1670), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Newington in Oxfordshire. He published several works on theology and religious subjects during his lifetime.

Another individual of note was William Bant (1778-1832), a British naval surgeon who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and later wrote a memoir detailing his experiences.

In the 19th century, Thomas Bant (1810-1890) was a prominent architect based in London. He designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Hospital for Incurables in Putney and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Paddington.

The BANT surname can also be found in historical records from Scotland, where it may have derived from a different source. In the 16th century, there was a family of Bants who were landowners in the Orkney Islands. One member of this family, James Bant (1557-1626), was a merchant and landowner in Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney.

Finally, a notable figure with the BANT surname in more recent history was Sir Edward Bant (1887-1961), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1947 to 1952.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bant families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bant surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Warwickshire leads with 83 Bants recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.12x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 83 14.12x
Cornwall 55 20.84x
Lancashire 17 0.61x
Staffordshire 14 1.78x
Derbyshire 11 3.01x
Middlesex 11 0.47x
Surrey 10 0.88x
Glamorgan 9 2.22x
Kent 9 1.13x
Durham 4 0.58x
Worcestershire 4 1.31x
Gloucestershire 3 0.66x
Northumberland 3 0.86x
Cheshire 2 0.39x
Devon 1 0.21x
Essex 1 0.22x
Monmouthshire 1 0.59x
Somerset 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 29 Bants recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.80x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 29 14.80x
Aston 20 12.35x
Derby St Werburgh 11 52.21x
Barrow In Furness 10 26.58x
Menheniot 10 909.09x
Snitterfield 10 1538.46x
St Teath 9 566.04x
Stoke Climsland 9 532.54x
Madron 7 328.64x
Shrewley 7 2413.79x
St Luke London 7 18.72x
Willenhall 7 47.49x
Coventry St Michael 6 31.76x
Croydon 6 9.52x
Newton 6 28.14x
Woolwich 6 20.42x
Harborne 5 19.83x
Lanteglos 5 409.84x
Llansamlet Lower 5 136.24x
Lawhitton 4 1176.47x
Oldbury 4 26.70x
Stoneleigh 4 408.16x
Tooting Graveney 4 126.58x
Calstock 3 57.92x
Greencroft 3 236.22x
Lewisham 3 7.07x
Mile End Old Town London 3 6.05x
Morpeth 3 73.53x
Penarth 3 75.57x
South Petherwin 3 454.55x
Bristol St Paul In 2 16.42x
Burntwood Edial 2 39.76x
Fillongley 2 238.10x
Helston 2 72.99x
Odd Rode 2 78.43x
St Gluvias 2 135.14x
Warwick St Mary 2 39.22x
Bethnal Green London 1 0.99x
Birkdale 1 14.29x
Brixham 1 17.79x
Chelmsford 1 12.66x
Falmouth 1 10.71x
Hampton In Arden 1 192.31x
Huntspill 1 64.94x
Lanchester 1 78.74x
Leamington Priors 1 6.91x
Maxstoke 1 526.32x
Swansea St Thomas 1 24.51x
Trevethin 1 6.28x
Westbury On Trym 1 6.46x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bant surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bant surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Bant surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bant surname in 1881?

In 1881, 242 people were recorded with the Bant surname. That placed it at #11,333 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bant surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016. That gives Bant a modern rank of #20,488.

What does the Bant surname mean?

A surname originally referring to a settler or inhabitant of a wooded area.

What does the Bant map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bant bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.