NameCensus.

UK surname

Benton

A locational surname derived from places in England meaning "town in a bent or grassy area."

In the 1881 census there were 3,101 people recorded with the Benton surname, ranking it #1,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,472, ranked #1,522, down from #1,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Cannock and Walsall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hastings, South Staffordshire and Cannock Chase.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Benton is 4,759 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.2%.

1881 census count

3,101

Ranked #1,449

Modern count

4,472

2016, ranked #1,522

Peak year

1999

4,759 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Benton had 3,101 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,472 in 2016, ranked #1,522.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,291 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Benton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Benton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Benton 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 2,116 #1,378
1861 historical 2,415 #1,208
1881 historical 3,101 #1,449
1891 historical 3,418 #1,392
1901 historical 3,889 #1,448
1911 historical 4,291 #1,207
1997 modern 4,554 #1,438
1998 modern 4,758 #1,428
1999 modern 4,759 #1,442
2000 modern 4,694 #1,449
2001 modern 4,572 #1,459
2002 modern 4,618 #1,477
2003 modern 4,415 #1,500
2004 modern 4,380 #1,512
2005 modern 4,338 #1,510
2006 modern 4,396 #1,493
2007 modern 4,415 #1,497
2008 modern 4,419 #1,509
2009 modern 4,562 #1,500
2010 modern 4,680 #1,496
2011 modern 4,570 #1,506
2012 modern 4,517 #1,498
2013 modern 4,560 #1,509
2014 modern 4,594 #1,506
2015 modern 4,520 #1,514
2016 modern 4,472 #1,522

Geography

Back to top

Where Bentons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Cannock, Walsall and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hastings, South Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Babergh and Walsall. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Cannock Staffordshire
3 Walsall Staffordshire
4 London parishes London 2
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hastings 004 Hastings
2 South Staffordshire 005 South Staffordshire
3 Cannock Chase 008 Cannock Chase
4 Babergh 009 Babergh
5 Walsall 024 Walsall

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Benton

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Benton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Benton, 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 Benton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Benton 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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Benton is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Benton is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Benton falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Benton 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 Benton, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Benton

The surname Benton has its origins in England, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is derived from an Old English place name, "Bentun," which translates to "bent grass town" or "town on the bend." The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documents landholders in England after the Norman Conquest.

Benton is a locational surname, meaning it originated from a specific place or geographic location. In this case, the name likely referred to individuals who hailed from one of the many towns or villages bearing the name Benton or a similar variation, such as Benton Magna in Lincolnshire or Benton Parva in Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John de Benton, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1275. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Benton, a wealthy merchant and alderman of London, who lived in the 15th century and served as Lord Mayor of London in 1491.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Benton family gained prominence in various parts of England. Sir Edward Benton (1539-1610) was a notable English politician and landowner from Hertfordshire, while John Benton (1622-1674) was an English Puritan minister and author who emigrated to America and became a co-founder of the town of Milford, Connecticut.

In the 18th century, Thomas Hart Benton (1782-1858) was a prominent American politician and Senator from Missouri, known for his advocacy of westward expansion and his opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson. His great-nephew, Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), was a renowned American painter and muralist, widely celebrated for his depictions of the American West.

Another famous bearer of the name was Jesse Benton (1815-1868), an American politician and newspaper editor from Mississippi, who served as a congressman and played a significant role in the presidential campaigns of Henry Clay and James K. Polk.

While the Benton surname has its roots in England, it has spread across the globe and can be found in various countries today, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, where many descendants of early English settlers have carried on the name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Benton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Benton 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. Staffordshire leads with 644 Bentons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.31x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 644 6.31x
Yorkshire 347 1.16x
Middlesex 285 0.94x
Warwickshire 271 3.55x
Cambridgeshire 254 13.26x
Essex 200 3.35x
Lincolnshire 180 3.72x
Surrey 130 0.88x
Kent 108 1.05x
Lancashire 101 0.28x
Nottinghamshire 77 1.89x
Worcestershire 63 1.59x
Derbyshire 61 1.29x
Aberdeenshire 56 2.00x
Sussex 38 0.75x
Durham 35 0.39x
Huntingdonshire 28 4.66x
Norfolk 27 0.58x
Lanarkshire 26 0.27x
Leicestershire 22 0.66x
Northamptonshire 18 0.63x
Cheshire 17 0.25x
Hampshire 15 0.24x
Shropshire 9 0.34x
Hertfordshire 8 0.38x
Renfrewshire 8 0.34x
Cumberland 7 0.27x
Devon 7 0.11x
Gloucestershire 7 0.12x
Suffolk 7 0.19x
Glamorgan 5 0.09x
Ayrshire 4 0.18x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.22x
Midlothian 4 0.10x
Northumberland 4 0.09x
Royal Navy 4 1.11x
Somerset 4 0.08x
Angus 3 0.11x
Cornwall 3 0.09x
Monmouthshire 2 0.09x
Oxfordshire 2 0.11x
Dorset 1 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.12x
Morayshire 1 0.21x
Nairnshire 1 1.08x
Perthshire 1 0.07x
Wiltshire 1 0.04x

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 121 Bentons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.76x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 121 4.76x
Cannock 115 64.55x
Aston 103 4.90x
Walsall Foreign 85 16.12x
Willenhall 50 26.14x
Littleport 49 133.88x
Leeds 45 2.66x
West Ham 42 3.19x
Nottingham St Mary 41 3.89x
Wolverhampton 39 4.97x
Wednesbury 38 14.89x
St Pancras London 36 1.48x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 35 41.89x
Essington 30 222.88x
Norton Canes 28 75.25x
St Andrewthe Less 27 12.33x
Darlaston 24 17.01x
Islington London 24 0.82x
Shoreditch London 23 1.75x
Chelsea London 21 2.30x
Ecclesall Bierlow 21 3.44x
Great Grimsby 21 6.84x
Heeley 21 23.05x
Huddersfield 21 4.81x
Wisbech St Peter 21 21.86x
Kings Norton 20 5.65x
Kingswinford 20 5.39x
Newcastle Under Lyme 20 11.07x
Boston 19 12.95x
Chesterton 18 30.47x
Billinghay 17 114.02x
Alford 16 104.92x
Bilston 16 8.09x
Holbeach 16 29.70x
Mile End Old Town London 16 2.49x
Newington 16 1.43x
Pelsall 16 52.70x
Cheslyn Hay 15 80.47x
Clerkenwell London 15 2.10x
Keig 15 186.57x
Kensington London 15 0.89x
Longdon 15 106.08x
Middlesbrough 15 3.84x
Northowram 15 7.14x
South Ockendon 15 121.36x
Speldhurst 15 28.54x
Lambeth 14 0.53x
Litchurch 14 7.35x
Southwark St Saviour 14 9.01x
Wakefield 14 6.08x
Hastings All Sts 13 27.05x
Southwark St George Martyr 13 2.14x
Springfield 13 49.68x
Dudley 12 2.50x
Great Wyrley 12 108.21x
Hevingham 12 151.71x
Hythe St Leonard 12 32.90x
Mansfield 12 8.51x
Paddington London 12 1.08x
Prittlewell 12 14.50x
Rothwell 12 19.82x
Battersea 11 0.99x
Bowling 11 3.71x
Burslem 11 3.76x
Fulham London 11 2.51x
St Andrewthe Great 11 44.41x
Stanford Rivers 11 108.91x
Stoke Upon Trent 11 1.02x
Sutton Coldfield 11 13.72x
Sutton St James 11 188.68x
Swavesey 11 89.58x
Tong 11 19.00x
Barrow Upon Soar 10 36.10x
Dartford 10 9.48x
Deptford St Paul 10 1.26x
Grays Thurrock 10 18.02x
Macclesfield 10 3.37x
Pudsey 10 6.24x
Staveley 10 11.89x
West Bromwich 10 1.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 193
Elizabeth 112
Sarah 110
Emma 69
Ann 54
Eliza 54
Alice 51
Annie 51
Jane 49
Emily 37
Hannah 36
Louisa 30
Ellen 29
Charlotte 25
Florence 23
Harriet 23
Martha 23
Caroline 21
Ada 20
Clara 19
Kate 18
Lucy 17
Susan 17
Fanny 15
Maria 14
Harriett 12
Amelia 10
Anne 10
Catherine 10
Rebecca 10
Amy 9
Isabella 9
Margaret 9
Minnie 9
Agnes 8
Esther 8
Matilda 8
Gertrude 7
Julia 7
Lydia 7
Phoebe 7
Edith 6
Elizth. 6
Frances 6
Rose 6
Ruth 6
Beatrice 5
Bertha 5
Lizzie 5
Pheobe 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 200
John 168
George 112
James 89
Thomas 88
Joseph 71
Henry 67
Charles 50
Edward 41
Alfred 40
Richard 34
Arthur 31
Samuel 27
Walter 26
Frederick 24
Robert 23
Frank 16
Albert 15
Harry 14
Benjamin 12
Ernest 12
Herbert 12
Francis 9
Thos. 9
Edgar 8
Edwin 8
Isaac 8
Mark 8
Abraham 7
Wm. 7
Jno. 6
Matthew 6
David 5
Philip 5
Chas. 4
Emanuel 4
Fred 4
Fredrick 4
Howard 4
Jabez 4
Josiah 4
Mathew 4
Eli 3
Enoch 3
Infant 3
J. 3
Jonas 3
Ralph 3
Silvanus 3
Stephen 3

FAQ

Benton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Benton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,101 people were recorded with the Benton surname. That placed it at #1,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Benton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,472 in 2016. That gives Benton a modern rank of #1,522.

What does the Benton surname mean?

A locational surname derived from places in England meaning "town in a bent or grassy area."

What does the Benton map show?

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