Bentley Name Meaning: Anglo-Saxon in origin, locational surname from 'beonet' meaning bent-grass, reeds, rushes, plus 'leah', a clearing; hence, 'a clearing overgrown with bent-grass'.
Generally a local landowner, or the lord of the manor would hold this name but also those former inhabitants of a place who had moved to another area.
Discover how your Bentley ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.| Bedfordshire | 0 |
| Buckinghamshire | 3 |
| Berkshire | 0 |
| Cambridgeshire | 30 |
| Channel Islands | 12 |
| Cheshire | 187 |
| Cornwall | 2 |
| Cumberland | 10 |
| Derbyshire | 142 |
| Devon | 32 |
| Dorset | 0 |
| Durham | 41 |
| Essex | 100 |
| Gloucestershire | 20 |
| Hampshire | 20 |
| Herefordshire | 14 |
| Hertfordshire | 141 |
| Huntingdonshire (and Rutland) | 14 |
| Isle of Man | 1 |
| Kent | 178 |
| Lancashire | 1,908 |
| Leicestershire | 163 |
| Lincolnshire | 65 |
| London | 532 |
| Middlesex | 82 |
| Northumberland | 31 |
| Norfolk | 27 |
| Northamptonshire | 16 |
| Nottinghamshire | 155 |
| Oxfordshire | 4 |
| Rutland (and Huntingdonshire) | 14 |
| Shropshire | 111 |
| Suffolk | 24 |
| Somerset | 25 |
| Surrey | 82 |
| Sussex | 57 |
| Staffordshire | 902 |
| Warwickshire | 159 |
| Westmorland | 6 |
| Wiltshire | 4 |
| Worcestershire | 63 |
| Yorkshire | 2,521 |
| Anglesey | 0 |
| Brecknockshire | 0 |
| Cardiganshire | 0 |
| Carnarvonshire | 0 |
| Carmarthenshire | 6 |
| Denbighshire | 6 |
| Flintshire | 1 |
| Glamorgan | 13 |
| Merionethshire | 0 |
| Montgomeryshire | 3 |
| Monmouthshire | 0 |
| Pembrokeshire | 1 |
| Radnorshire | 1 |
| Profession | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| Scholar | 1,201 |
| Agricultural Labourer | 179 |
| Cotton Weaver | 101 |
| Coal Miner | 88 |
| Labourer | 73 |
| House Servant | 66 |
| House Keeper | 65 |
| Dress Maker | 55 |
| Woollen Weaver | 47 |
| Servant | 43 |
| Laundress | 40 |
| Carter | 37 |
| Worsted Spinner | 35 |
| Power Loom Cotton Weaver | 34 |
| Farm Labourer | 31 |
| Blacksmith | 30 |
| Cotton Winder | 28 |
| Potter | 28 |
| Stone Mason | 27 |
| Tailor | 27 |
| Grocer | 26 |
| General Servant | 25 |
| Gardener | 25 |
| Worsted Weaver | 25 |
| Wife Of Above | 24 |
| Name | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| Mary Bentley | 5,759 |
| John Bentley | 5,323 |
| William Bentley | 5,027 |
| Sarah Bentley | 3,315 |
| Elizabeth Bentley | 3,006 |
| Thomas Bentley | 2,822 |
| George Bentley | 2,776 |
| James Bentley | 2,622 |
| Joseph Bentley | 2,068 |
| Ann Bentley | 1,941 |
| Jane Bentley | 1,462 |
| Annie Bentley | 1,400 |
| Alice Bentley | 1,341 |
| Charles Bentley | 1,340 |
| Henry Bentley | 1,282 |
| Hannah Bentley | 1,280 |
| Emma Bentley | 1,176 |
| Eliza Bentley | 1,145 |
| Ellen Bentley | 1,089 |
| Martha Bentley | 997 |
| Arthur Bentley | 983 |
| Samuel Bentley | 928 |
| Robert Bentley | 911 |
| Alfred Bentley | 765 |
| Margaret Bentley | 762 |