NameCensus.

UK surname

Dent

Derived from Old English meaning "valley" or referring to someone who lived in or near a dent or hollow.

In the 1881 census there were 5,714 people recorded with the Dent surname, ranking it #773 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,359, ranked #912, down from #773 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Eden and North Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dent is 8,016 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.8%.

1881 census count

5,714

Ranked #773

Modern count

7,359

2016, ranked #912

Peak year

1999

8,016 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dent had 5,714 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #773 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,359 in 2016, ranked #912.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,806 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dent surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dent surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dent 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 3,594 #794
1861 historical 3,453 #820
1881 historical 5,714 #773
1891 historical 6,101 #761
1901 historical 6,933 #802
1911 historical 7,806 #663
1997 modern 7,702 #836
1998 modern 7,900 #849
1999 modern 8,016 #843
2000 modern 7,859 #853
2001 modern 7,656 #857
2002 modern 7,823 #860
2003 modern 7,561 #869
2004 modern 7,482 #873
2005 modern 7,363 #879
2006 modern 7,342 #885
2007 modern 7,370 #890
2008 modern 7,317 #903
2009 modern 7,467 #905
2010 modern 7,635 #904
2011 modern 7,519 #904
2012 modern 7,386 #900
2013 modern 7,549 #898
2014 modern 7,576 #899
2015 modern 7,457 #903
2016 modern 7,359 #912

Geography

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Where Dents are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Sheffield and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Eden and North Lincolnshire. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 065 County Durham
2 Eden 007 Eden
3 County Durham 064 County Durham
4 County Durham 059 County Durham
5 North Lincolnshire 011 North Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dent

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dent

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

Dent is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dent 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 Dent 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 Dent, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dent

The surname Dent originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English word "dene," meaning a valley or a hollow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Dent surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1199, where a person named Adam de Dene was mentioned. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Yorkshire Dales area, where numerous valleys and denes are found.

The Dent surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "de Dene" and "de Dente," indicating its locational origin.

As the name spread across England, it took on different spellings and variations, such as Dente, Dunt, and Dunt. Some of these variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the way the name was pronounced in different areas.

Notable individuals with the surname Dent include Sir Edward Dent (1490-1557), a prominent English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. Another notable figure was John Dent (1604-1659), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.

In the 18th century, John Dent (1712-1787) was a renowned English clockmaker and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of the chronometer. His son, Thomas Dent (1745-1829), followed in his footsteps and became a successful clockmaker as well.

In the realm of literature, Ada Dent (1876-1963) was a British writer and poet, best known for her collection of poems titled "The Briars and Green Bracken." She was also a prominent figure in the suffragette movement.

Arthur Dent, a fictional character in Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series, is another notable bearer of the Dent surname, although he is a creation of literature rather than a historical figure.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dent families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dent 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 1,169 Dents recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.12x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,169 2.12x
Durham 826 4.99x
Middlesex 558 1.00x
Lancashire 408 0.62x
Lincolnshire 332 3.73x
Westmorland 281 22.97x
Norfolk 236 2.76x
Northumberland 203 2.45x
Warwickshire 190 1.35x
Staffordshire 151 0.80x
Surrey 138 0.51x
Derbyshire 119 1.37x
Gloucestershire 112 1.03x
Nottinghamshire 101 1.35x
Essex 92 0.84x
Northamptonshire 84 1.60x
Leicestershire 76 1.23x
Suffolk 73 1.08x
Cumberland 71 1.48x
Kent 62 0.33x
Hampshire 48 0.42x
Cambridgeshire 46 1.31x
Sussex 25 0.27x
Worcestershire 25 0.34x
Hertfordshire 24 0.63x
Herefordshire 23 1.01x
Glamorgan 22 0.23x
Somerset 22 0.25x
Buckinghamshire 21 0.62x
Monmouthshire 21 0.52x
Bedfordshire 17 0.59x
Lanarkshire 14 0.08x
Cheshire 12 0.10x
Midlothian 12 0.16x
Anglesey 11 1.12x
Stirlingshire 11 0.54x
Dorset 10 0.27x
Devon 9 0.08x
Kirkcudbrightshire 9 1.12x
Berkshire 7 0.17x
Dunbartonshire 7 0.47x
Huntingdonshire 5 0.45x
Pembrokeshire 5 0.28x
Wiltshire 3 0.06x
Berwickshire 2 0.30x
Isle of Man 2 0.19x
Oxfordshire 2 0.06x
Shropshire 2 0.04x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.02x
Argyllshire 1 0.06x
Banffshire 1 0.09x
Channel Islands 1 0.06x
Renfrewshire 1 0.02x
Royal Navy 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 85 Dents recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.98x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 85 5.98x
Bethnal Green London 83 3.43x
Aston 75 1.94x
Birmingham 64 1.37x
Darlington 64 10.01x
Crook Billy Row 59 27.83x
Middleton In Teesdale 59 135.01x
Islington London 57 1.06x
Stapenhill 57 43.95x
Leeds 49 1.57x
Newbiggin In Morpeth 47 177.49x
Burnley 42 7.55x
Shoreditch London 42 1.74x
Great Grimsby 40 7.08x
Lambeth 40 0.82x
Holy Trinity 37 2.79x
Middlesbrough 36 5.01x
Hackney London 33 1.06x
Preston 33 1.87x
Sculcoates 33 3.77x
Kendal 32 14.29x
Mickleton 32 251.77x
St Pancras London 31 0.69x
Brough 28 234.11x
Hartleyburn 28 279.44x
Lakenham 28 23.03x
Southcoates 28 9.15x
Paddington London 26 1.27x
Barton St Peter 24 58.84x
Bolehall Glascote 24 40.37x
West Ham 24 0.99x
Habergham Eaves 23 3.81x
Kings Meaburn 23 662.82x
St Marylebone London 23 0.77x
Stow Upland 23 103.19x
Barnard Castle 22 26.88x
Stainmore 22 233.30x
Barrow In Furness 21 2.34x
Broughton 21 84.27x
Heckmondwike 21 11.84x
Lynesack Softley 21 46.95x
Staindrop 21 83.57x
Auckland St Andrew 20 45.75x
Chelsea London 20 1.19x
Church Gresley 20 14.43x
Harlestone 20 184.50x
Horwich 20 27.77x
Lunedale 20 272.85x
Nottingham St Mary 20 1.03x
Spittlegate 20 16.25x
Stowmarket 20 25.53x
Tottenham 20 2.26x
Appleby St Lawrence 19 68.22x
Kensington London 19 0.61x
Sheffield 19 1.08x
Stockton On Tees 19 2.38x
Stranton 19 3.41x
Whitworth 19 15.68x
Briercliffe Cum 18 82.23x
Escomb 18 23.66x
Goxhill 18 82.08x
Leicester St Mary 18 3.61x
Nether Hallam 18 2.41x
Newark Upon Trent 18 6.68x
Shap 18 66.74x
Stanhope 18 10.53x
Swansea Town 18 2.27x
West Derby 18 0.93x
Wimbledon 18 5.91x
Great Little Marsden 17 5.62x
Lartington 17 427.14x
Linthorpe 17 5.17x
Newby 15 321.20x
Newsham 15 287.36x
Ulleskelf 15 171.62x
York St Mary 15 6.57x
Elland Cum Greetland 14 5.64x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 14 1.95x
Hunderthwaite 14 257.83x
Stafford St Mary 14 5.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 415
Elizabeth 277
Sarah 206
Jane 131
Ann 102
Margaret 96
Annie 95
Alice 78
Hannah 73
Emma 71
Eliza 69
Ellen 53
Emily 52
Harriet 46
Isabella 43
Florence 40
Maria 37
Martha 36
Charlotte 34
Catherine 30
Edith 28
Louisa 28
Fanny 27
Clara 25
Ada 24
Kate 24
Agnes 21
Caroline 19
Lucy 18
Frances 17
Susan 17
Susannah 16
Amelia 15
Rose 15
Jessie 14
Rebecca 14
Minnie 13
Henrietta 12
Anne 11
Esther 11
Gertrude 11
Julia 11
Sophia 11
Amy 10
Eleanor 10
Helen 10
Lydia 10
Betsy 9
Harriett 9
Eva 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 405
William 344
Thomas 262
George 198
James 163
Joseph 120
Robert 119
Charles 95
Henry 92
Arthur 58
Edward 48
Frederick 46
Alfred 36
Richard 32
Harry 30
Samuel 27
Walter 27
Herbert 23
Francis 20
Frank 19
Albert 18
Christopher 18
David 17
Ernest 17
Thos. 17
Wm. 16
Fred 15
Anthony 14
Isaac 14
Daniel 12
Edwin 11
Benjamin 10
Matthew 9
Geo. 8
Jonathan 8
Stephen 8
Tom 8
Miles 7
Fredrick 6
Mark 6
Abraham 5
Alexander 5
Jacob 5
Luke 5
Peter 5
Ralph 5
Robt. 5
Willie 5
Adam 4
Levi 4

FAQ

Dent surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dent surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,714 people were recorded with the Dent surname. That placed it at #773 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dent surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,359 in 2016. That gives Dent a modern rank of #912.

What does the Dent surname mean?

Derived from Old English meaning "valley" or referring to someone who lived in or near a dent or hollow.

What does the Dent map show?

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