Contents [hide]

Bennet History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Bennet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Bennet

What does the name Bennet mean?

The ancestors of the Bennet family lived among the Strathclyde people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. Their name is derived from the ancient Latin given name Benedictus, which means blessed.

Early Origins of the Bennet family

The surname Bennet was first found in Perthshire where "Benedictus, son of Walter de Sancto Edmundo, witnessed a charter of sale of land in Perth, 1219. Benedict the dean (decanus) witnessed the gift of the mill of Wystoun to the Hospital of Soltre in 1249. The fame of Saint Benedict (480-543) the patriarch of the Western monks made the name popular. " 1

Early History of the Bennet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bennet research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1200, 1249, 1250, 1300, 1402, 1459, 1527, 1563, 1588, 1594, 1603, 1604, 1652, 1743, 1793, 1795, 1797, 1822, 1836, 1872, 1883 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bennet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bennet Spelling Variations

The variation in the spelling of Medieval names is a result of the lack of spelling rules in the English language prior to the last few hundred years. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound, often varying the spelling of name within a single document. Bennet has appeared as Bennett, Bennet, Benett, Benet and others.

Early Notables of the Bennet family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Sir Thomas Bennett, Sheriff of London in 1594, and Lord Mayor (1603-1604)
Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville, cricket pioneer, (1743-1822)
Charles Fox Bennett (1793-1883), English merchant and politician
Edward Turner Bennett (1797-1836), an English zoologist and writer

Bennet Ranking

In the United States, the name Bennet is the 6,372^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Bennet is ranked the 7,279^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Bennet family to Ireland

Some of the Bennet family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 125 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bennet migration to the United States +

As the persecution of Clan families continued, they sailed for North America in increasing numbers. In most cases, they found the freedom and opportunity they sought. Land was often available and the American War of Independence allowed Scots an opportunity to solidify their independence from the English crown. These settlers and their ancestors went on to play essential roles in the forging of the nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Bennet Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Bennet, who landed in Virginia in 1622 4
James Bennet, from Kent, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules", bound for Cambridge 4
Matthew Bennet, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Paul" 4
Jo Bennet, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Plain Joan" 4
Jane Bennet, aged 16, who landed in New England in 1635 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bennet Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Bennet, who arrived in Virginia in 1713 4
William Bennet, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1799 4

Bennet Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Bennet, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 4
John M Bennet, aged 47, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
Alexander Bennet, aged 52, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
Reuben Bennet, who arrived in New York in 1824 4
John P Bennet, aged 32, who landed in Key West, Ha in 1842 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bennet migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bennet Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

William Bennet, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1675 5
Peter Bennet, who arrived in Bay de Verde, Newfoundland in 1676 5

Bennet Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Bennet, who arrived in Old Perlican in, Newfoundland 1708 5
David Bennet, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774
Corporal Bennet U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 6
Mr. James Bennet U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 6
Mr. Thomas Bennet U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1783 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bennet Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William and John Bennet, who arrived in Carbonear in 1804
Samuel Bennet, from county Wexford, was married in Tilton Harbour in 1819
John Bennet, who arrived in Canada in 1834
Samuel Bennet was a fisherman of Port au Bras, Newfoundland in 1860 5

Bennet migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bennet Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. David Bennet, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Thomas A. Bennet, (b. 1822), aged 19, Irish farm labourer from County Tyrone, Ireland departing on 8th July 1841 from Greenock, Scotland aboard the ship "New York Packet" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 23rd October 1841 8
Miss Mary Bennet, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 22nd January 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
A.B. Bennet, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caspar" in 1849 10
Mr. Samuel Bennet, (b. 1837), aged 20, Cornish farm labourer departing from Plymouth aboard the ship "Fitzjames" arriving in Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia on 1st April 1857 11

Bennet migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bennet Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Bennet, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th November 1843 12
Mr. Bennet, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rajah" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 6th October 1853 13
Mr. Charles Bennet, (b. 1838), aged 18, British stable boy travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hercus" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th January 1856 12
Miss Emma Bennet, (b. 1843), aged 15, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 12
Mr. John Bennet, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Spray of the Ocean" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st September 1859 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bennet migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Bennet Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Bartholomew Bennet, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 15

Contemporary Notables of the name Bennet (post 1700) +

Douglas Joseph Bennet Jr. (1938-2018), American political official and 15th President of Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Connecticut (1995-2007)
Spencer Gordon Bennet (1893-1987), American film producer and director
Michael Farrand Bennet (b. 1964), American businessman, lawyer, and politician
Hiram Pitt Bennet (1826-1914), American Delegate from the Territory of Colorado
Meg Bennet (b. 1950), American screenwriter and actress
William Stiles Bennet (1870-1962), U.S. Representative from New York
Mr. Ralph Bennet, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1670 to 1671
William Bennet (1746-1820), Bishop of Cloyne, Ireland
Charles Bennet (1743-1822), 4th Earl of Tankerville, English cricket pioneer
William Bennet, English 18th century civil engineer
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5316/4_4782/New%20York%20Packet_23%20Oct%201841/4_478200095.jpg&No=197
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CASPAR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caspar.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm