2000
#8,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Bennet
A patronymic surname derived from the medieval personal name Benedict, meaning "blessed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,781 Americans carry the last name Bennet. That puts it at #9,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bennet surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bennet with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,652
Census rank
#9,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,297 bearers of the surname Bennet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennet, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bennet
The surname Bennet is of Old French origin, derived from the personal name Benedict, which itself comes from the Latin "Benedictus" meaning "blessed". It is believed to have been introduced to England by Norman settlers after the conquest of 1066.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 12th century, appearing in various forms such as Benet, Benett, and Benet. One of the earliest known references is found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire from 1195, where a William Benet is mentioned.
During the Middle Ages, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. This is likely due to its Norman origins, as these areas were heavily influenced by the Norman aristocracy.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct mentions of the Bennet surname. However, there are references to landholders with the given name Benedict, suggesting that the surname may have derived from some of these individuals.
One notable early bearer of the Bennet name was Sir William Bennet, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1408. Another was Thomas Bennet, a 16th-century English composer and organist who served at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford.
In the 17th century, the Bennet family played a significant role in the English Civil War. Sir John Bennet (1598-1682) was a staunch Royalist and served as a military commander under King Charles I. His son, Henry Bennet (1618-1685), was a prominent politician and diplomat who served as Secretary of State under Charles II.
The 18th century saw the rise of the celebrated playwright and author, Anna Laetitia Barbauld (née Aikin), who was born in 1743 and married Rochemont Barbauld, taking his surname. Her works, such as "Poems" and "Evenings at Home", were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
In the 19th century, James Gordon Bennet (1795-1872) was a prominent American journalist and publisher who founded the New York Herald newspaper. His son, James Gordon Bennet Jr. (1841-1918), also made a name for himself as a newspaper publisher and explorer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bennet
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennet, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bennet bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bennet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 2,188
- Black or African American21.2% · 700
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 182
- Two or more races3.7% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bennet
Bennet appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,523
-299 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 1,229 places
2020
#9,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,297
-226 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,008 | 3,822 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,237 | 3,523 | 1.19 | -299 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 1,229 places |
| 2020 | #9,442 | 3,297 | 1.10 | -226 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 205 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bennet surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,237 | #9,442 | -2.2% |
| Count | 3,523 | 3,297 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.10 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bennet bearers went from 3,523 to 3,297 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 205 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,237 to #9,442.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bennet
FAQ
Bennet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bennet?
Name Census estimates that about 3,781 living Americans carry the surname Bennet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,652 residents.
How common is Bennet?
Bennet ranks #9,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,297 people with the surname Bennet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bennet.
Has Bennet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bennet went from 3,523 recorded bearers to 3,297. That is a decrease of 226 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,237 to #9,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Bennet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bennet, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bennet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (2,188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bennet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (21.2%), Hispanic (5.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bennet (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bennet mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the medieval personal name Benedict, meaning "blessed." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bennet (1.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Bennet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.