Bennett (name)

Bennett
Pronunciation/ˈbɛnɪt/
Origin
Language(s)Anglo-Norman, Old French
Meaning"blessed"
Region of originEngland, Ireland, Scotland
Other names
Variant form(s)Benedict, Benoît, Bénet, Bennet, Benatte, Bennatt, Mac Beinéid, MacBennett

Bennett is an English surname and, less commonly, a given name. Alternative spellings include Bennet, Benett, Benet and Bennette. It is common throughout the British Isles, in England, Scotland and also in Ireland.[citation needed]

It is related also to the medieval name Benedict from the Latin "Benedictus" meaning "well-spoken of" or "blessed".[1] Bennett is the English spelling of the Anglo-Norman name Ben[n]et (modern French first name Benoît, surname Bénet[2]). The oldest public record of the surname is dated 1208 in County Durham in North East England.[3]

In Ireland, the name is an Irish rendition of Beinéid, which is located in South Leinster. The name is also found throughout the southeastern providence of Ulster in Northern Ireland in the form of "MacBennett" in County Monaghan, County Down, and County Tyrone.[4]

Bennett was also found in Perthshire in Scotland. According to author George F. Black, Benedictus, the son of Walter de Sancto Edmundo, witnessed a charter of sale of land in Perth in 1219.[5] The name was common in Edinburgh throughout the 17th century. The variant "Bennet" is more common throughout Scotland, while Bennett is common along the Anglo-Scottish border.

  1. ^ "Online Latin Dictionary - Latin - English".
  2. ^ Albert Dauzat, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et augmentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet, p. 36b.
  3. ^ "Surname: Bennett". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  4. ^ Grenham, John. "Irish genealogy records for the surname Bennett". www.johngrenham.com. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  5. ^ Black, George Fraser; New York Public Library (1946). The surnames of Scotland: their origin, meaning, and history. New York: New York Public Library.