Explore the Family Name Bentham

The meaning of Bentham

English: habitational name from any of various places so named, but primarily from Bentham in Yorkshire or Gloucestershire; named from Old English beonet ‘bent grass’ + hām ‘homestead, estate’ or hamm ‘enclosure hemmed in by water’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Bentham in the United States?

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Bentham has seen a gradual increase in popularity over time. In 2000, Bentham was ranked 59,453 in terms of frequency, but by 2010 it had jumped to 56,588, reflecting a growth rate of 4.82%. The number of individuals with the Bentham surname also climbed from 318 in 2000 to 361 in 2010, suggesting an increase of 13.52%. Despite these changes, the proportion of individuals named Bentham per 100,000 people remained steady at 0.12.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#59,453	#56,588	4.82%
Count	318	361	13.52%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.12	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bentham

When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Bentham, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some notable patterns. In 2000, 72.01% of people with this surname identified as White, but this percentage decreased slightly to 67.31% by 2010. Meanwhile, there was a significant increase of 50.91% in those identifying as Hispanic, although this group still only represents 3.32% of individuals with the Bentham surname in 2010. The percentage of Benthams identifying as Black saw a modest increase from 24.21% in 2000 to 25.48% in 2010. Interestingly, those identifying as two or more races emerged in 2010, while no Benthams identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	72.01%	67.31%	-6.53%
Black	24.21%	25.48%	5.25%
Hispanic	2.2%	3.32%	50.91%
Two or More Races	0%	2.22%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%