NameCensus.

UK surname

Bentley

From a place name meaning "bent grass meadow" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 12,662 people recorded with the Bentley surname, ranking it #327 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 15,917, ranked #395, down from #327 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Halifax and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kirklees, Shropshire and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bentley is 17,687 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.7%.

1881 census count

12,662

Ranked #327

Modern count

15,917

2016, ranked #395

Peak year

1911

17,687 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bentley had 12,662 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #327 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 15,917 in 2016, ranked #395.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 17,687 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bentley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bentley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bentley 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 7,889 #353
1861 historical 7,225 #394
1881 historical 12,662 #327
1891 historical 13,415 #325
1901 historical 16,090 #316
1911 historical 17,687 #268
1997 modern 15,607 #387
1998 modern 16,651 #378
1999 modern 16,896 #375
2000 modern 16,676 #378
2001 modern 16,301 #378
2002 modern 16,564 #378
2003 modern 16,107 #379
2004 modern 16,068 #379
2005 modern 15,719 #381
2006 modern 15,635 #387
2007 modern 15,717 #387
2008 modern 15,746 #388
2009 modern 16,159 #389
2010 modern 16,294 #393
2011 modern 16,144 #392
2012 modern 15,837 #389
2013 modern 16,187 #392
2014 modern 16,210 #395
2015 modern 15,993 #396
2016 modern 15,917 #395

Geography

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Where Bentleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Halifax, London parishes, Birstall and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kirklees, Shropshire and Staffordshire Moorlands. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kirklees 003 Kirklees
2 Shropshire 005 Shropshire
3 Staffordshire Moorlands 013 Staffordshire Moorlands
4 Kirklees 005 Kirklees
5 Kirklees 008 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bentley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bentley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bentley, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Bentley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bentley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Bentley is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bentley is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bentley falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bentley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Bentley

The surname Bentley originated in England and dates back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from various places in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire, whose names were composed of the Old English elements "beonet" meaning "bent grass" and "leah" meaning "woodland clearing" or "meadow."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Benedleia" in Derbyshire. This entry likely refers to the modern town of Bentley, located near Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

In the 13th century, the name was documented in various spellings such as Benitlegh, Benetlehe, and Benetleye, reflecting the evolving pronunciation and orthography of the time.

One notable historical figure with the surname Bentley was Thomas Bentley (c. 1731-1780), an English actor and dramatist who is credited with introducing the character of Macheath in John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera" to the American stage during a tour in 1768.

Another prominent individual was Richard Bentley (1662-1742), an English classical scholar and critic who served as the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. He is renowned for his influential work in textual criticism, particularly his editions of ancient Greek and Latin texts.

In the 19th century, John Bentley (1809-1902) was a distinguished English botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and classification. He served as the Secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society and published numerous works on British flora.

The surname Bentley is also associated with the automotive industry, with Walter Owen Bentley (1888-1971) being the founder of the luxury car brand Bentley Motors. Born in London, he established the company in 1919 and oversaw the production of high-performance automobiles until the company's acquisition by Rolls-Royce in 1931.

Another noteworthy figure is Phyllis Bentley (1894-1977), an English novelist and travel writer known for her works set in the Yorkshire Dales region, where she grew up. Her novels, such as "Inheritance" and "The Spinning Wheel," explored themes of social class and the impact of industrialization on rural communities.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bentley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bentley 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. Yorkshire leads with 3,504 Bentleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.86x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 3,504 2.86x
Lancashire 2,872 1.96x
Staffordshire 1,445 3.46x
Middlesex 838 0.68x
Cheshire 475 1.74x
Surrey 418 0.69x
Nottinghamshire 308 1.85x
Leicestershire 290 2.12x
Derbyshire 287 1.48x
Kent 283 0.67x
Warwickshire 262 0.84x
Essex 233 0.96x
Hertfordshire 206 2.42x
Shropshire 146 1.37x
Sussex 130 0.62x
Worcestershire 121 0.75x
Durham 119 0.32x
Lincolnshire 117 0.59x
Norfolk 60 0.32x
Devon 54 0.21x
Hampshire 44 0.17x
Gloucestershire 37 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 34 0.43x
Berkshire 33 0.36x
Northumberland 31 0.17x
Suffolk 30 0.20x
Northamptonshire 29 0.25x
Buckinghamshire 28 0.37x
Cumberland 27 0.25x
Huntingdonshire 27 1.10x
Herefordshire 22 0.43x
Westmorland 19 0.70x
Oxfordshire 12 0.16x
Bedfordshire 11 0.17x
Carmarthenshire 11 0.21x
Dorset 11 0.14x
Montgomeryshire 10 0.35x
Wiltshire 9 0.08x
Glamorgan 7 0.03x
Renfrewshire 7 0.07x
Somerset 7 0.04x
Royal Navy 6 0.41x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.10x
Channel Islands 5 0.14x
Lanarkshire 5 0.01x
West Lothian 5 0.27x
Cornwall 4 0.03x
Monmouthshire 4 0.04x
Anglesey 3 0.14x
Radnorshire 3 0.30x
Ayrshire 2 0.02x
Brecknockshire 2 0.08x
Midlothian 2 0.01x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.05x
Angus 1 0.01x
Caithness 1 0.06x
Denbighshire 1 0.02x
Flintshire 1 0.03x
Stirlingshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 330 Bentleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.46x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 330 7.46x
Cleckheaton 249 55.20x
Horton In Bradford 144 7.53x
Oldham 141 2.98x
Halifax 116 6.45x
Aston 115 1.34x
Manchester 110 1.67x
Leicester St Margaret 97 2.90x
Northowram 94 10.95x
Over Darwen 93 7.94x
Bury 92 5.49x
Nottingham St Mary 92 2.14x
Bradford 89 3.00x
Islington London 85 0.71x
Turton 85 35.40x
Spotland 83 5.09x
Birmingham 81 0.78x
Dewsbury 81 6.45x
Huddersfield 81 4.54x
Great Harwood 77 29.05x
Salford 76 1.76x
Hulme 73 2.38x
Leeds 73 1.06x
Blackburn 71 1.82x
Little Bolton 71 3.77x
Rastrick 70 20.58x
St Marylebone London 70 1.06x
Tottington Lower End 69 9.90x
Dukinfield 66 5.24x
Oswaldtwistle 66 12.74x
Baildon 65 28.19x
Southowram 64 17.12x
Croydon 63 1.89x
Gomersal 63 11.02x
Cheadle 60 29.95x
Accrington 59 4.43x
Saddleworth 59 6.25x
North Bierley 58 8.77x
Wolstanton 58 4.58x
Liversedge 57 10.46x
St Pancras London 57 0.57x
Morley 56 8.80x
Liverpool 54 0.61x
Pendleton In Salford 54 3.09x
Burslem 53 4.44x
Stansfield 53 11.76x
Newchurch 52 4.34x
Wolverhampton 52 1.62x
Great Bolton 50 2.57x
Preston 50 1.27x
Shoreditch London 50 0.93x
Walsall Foreign 49 2.27x
Hunslet 48 2.51x
Lepton 47 36.74x
Shitlington 47 37.10x
Stone 47 8.81x
Hackney London 46 0.66x
Kensington London 46 0.67x
Ashton Under Lyne 45 1.40x
Pilkington 45 8.08x
Langfield 44 20.54x
West Bromwich 44 1.84x
Church 43 20.77x
Hipperholme Cum 43 7.99x
Holy Trinity 43 1.46x
Stockport 43 3.06x
Tottenham 43 2.19x
Ecclesall Bierlow 42 1.69x
Haslingden 41 6.75x
Soothill 41 9.27x
Derby St Werburgh 40 3.58x
Holbeck 40 4.93x
Barton Upon Irwell 39 3.53x
Battersea 39 0.86x
Manningham 39 2.59x
Newington 39 0.85x
Habergham Eaves 38 2.84x
Kearsley 38 12.32x
Camberwell 37 0.47x
Tottington Higher End 37 22.17x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 934
Sarah 575
Elizabeth 432
Ann 288
Jane 241
Emma 224
Alice 218
Annie 205
Hannah 196
Eliza 190
Ellen 168
Martha 152
Emily 122
Harriet 109
Margaret 98
Maria 84
Clara 83
Ada 82
Louisa 82
Edith 75
Fanny 71
Florence 65
Lucy 56
Caroline 50
Charlotte 49
Anne 44
Kate 42
Betsy 39
Esther 37
Frances 36
Agnes 34
Susan 34
Rebecca 33
Lydia 32
Betty 31
Eleanor 31
Harriett 29
Rachel 28
Amelia 27
Nancy 27
Ruth 27
Susannah 27
Catherine 26
Gertrude 24
Minnie 22
Sophia 22
Matilda 21
Rose 21
Elizth. 19
Grace 19

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 831
William 729
Thomas 419
George 402
James 384
Joseph 308
Charles 207
Henry 204
Arthur 164
Robert 143
Samuel 136
Alfred 127
Richard 105
Edward 100
Walter 89
Albert 85
Frederick 83
Harry 79
Herbert 75
Benjamin 55
Frank 55
David 52
Fred 47
Ernest 41
Edwin 40
Wm. 36
Tom 30
Thos. 29
Francis 25
Daniel 22
Isaac 21
Sam 20
Abraham 18
Joshua 17
Geo. 16
Eli 15
Percy 15
Michael 14
Jonathan 13
Stephen 13
Harold 12
Jno. 12
Lewis 12
Peter 12
Edmund 11
Fredk. 11
Joe 10
Moses 10
Ralph 10
Sidney 10

FAQ

Bentley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bentley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 12,662 people were recorded with the Bentley surname. That placed it at #327 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bentley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 15,917 in 2016. That gives Bentley a modern rank of #395.

What does the Bentley surname mean?

From a place name meaning "bent grass meadow" in Old English.

What does the Bentley map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bentley 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.