Dent (surname)
| Pronunciation | /dɛnt/ |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old English; Old French |
| Word/name | Habitational (from Dent, Yorkshire/Cumbria) or descriptive nickname (Old French *dent*, "tooth") |
| Meaning | From a valley; or "tooth" |
| Region of origin | England with diaspora to United States, Australia, etc. |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Dente, Dentt, Dente, Dentith, Dennett |
Dent is an English surname with two primary origins: a habitational name from places called Dent in Yorkshire and Cumbria, and a nickname derived from the Old French word dent meaning "tooth."
Etymology and origin
The surname most likely originates as a locational name from the villages of Dent in West Yorkshire and Cumberland—recorded circa 1200 as "Denet" and "Dinet"—from a British hill-name akin to Old Irish dinn/dind ("hill") and Old Norse tindr ("point, crag").[1][2] Alternatively, it may have arisen as a medieval nickname for someone notable for their teeth, from Old French *dent* (tooth).[3]
Geographic distribution
As of recent data, approximately 40,600 people worldwide bear the surname Dent, with the greatest numbers in the United States, followed by England and Australia.[4] In the UK, around 11,300 individuals bear the name, ranking it the 929th most common surname.[5] U.S. census data shows the number rose from about 14,082 in 2000 to 14,873 in 2010, though the per-capita incidence dipped slightly.[6]
Notable individuals
A non-exhaustive list of notable people with the surname includes:
- Aileen Dent (1890–1978), Australian artist
- Akeem Dent (born 1987), American football linebacker
- Alan Dent (1905–1978), Scottish journalist, editor and writer
- Albert W. Dent (1904–1984), American academic administrator
- Alfred Dent (1844–1927), British businessman and founder of the North Borneo Chartered Company
- Ancilla Dent (born 1933), English Roman Catholic nun, ecological activist, and writer
- Andrew Dent (1955–2008), Australian doctor and humanitarian worker
- Beryl May Dent (1900–1977), British mathematical physicist
- Betty-Ann Dent (born 1950), American professional tennis player
- Borden Dent (1938–2000), American geographer and cartographer
- Bucky Dent (born 1951), American baseball player
- Burnell Dent (born 1963), professional American football linebacker
- Catherine Dent (born 1965), American actress
- Charles Dent (disambiguation), multiple people with the name (includes "Charlie")
- Charles Enrique Dent (1911–1976), British biochemist
- Charlie Dent (born 2006), English meteorologist
- Charlie Dent (born 1960), Pennsylvanian politician
- Chris Dent (born 1991), English cricketer
- Clinton Thomas Dent (1850–1912), English alpinist, author and surgeon
- Denny Dent (1948–2004), American speed painter
- Digby Dent (disambiguation), several people
- Douglas Dent (1869–1959), Royal Navy officer
- Eddie Dent (1887–1974), pitcher in Major League Baseball
- Edith Vere Dent (1863–1948), British amateur botanist and wild flower enthusiast
- Edward John Dent (1790–1853), English watch maker
- Edward Joseph Dent (1876–1957), English musicologist and biographer of Handel
- Emma Dent (1823–1900), English antiquarian and collector
- Eric Dent (born 1961), American complexity theorist
- Francis Dent (1866–1955), British railway manager
- Frederick B. Dent (1922–2019), United States Secretary of Commerce
- Frederick Tracy Dent (1820–1892), American soldier
- George Dent (1756–1813), American planter and politician from Maryland
- Grace Dent (born 1973), English columnist, broadcaster and author
- Harry Dent (disambiguation), multiple people
- J. M. Dent (1849–1926), British publisher
- Jason Dent (born 1980), American mixed martial artist
- Jim Dent (1939–2025), American golfer
- Jim Dent (author) (born 1953), American author and sportswriter
- John Dent (disambiguation), multiple people
- Julia Boggs Dent (1826–1902), wife of Ulysses Grant, the President of the United States
- Lachlan Dent (born 2000), Australian basketball player
- Lester Dent (1904–1959), American writer best known for creating the character Doc Savage
- Maggie Dent (born 1955), Australian parenting author
- Marmaduke H. Dent (1849–1909), American judge
- Martin Dent (academic) (1925–2014), English academic
- Richard Dent (born 1960), American football player and coach
- S. Hubert Dent Jr. (1869–1938), American lawyer and politician
- Susie Dent (born 1964), English lexicographer
- Taylor Dent (born 1981), American tennis player
- Ted Dent (born 1969), Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- Teresa Dent (born 1959), British charity executive, CEO, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
- Thomas Dent (disambiguation), multiple people
- Vernon Dent (1895–1963), American actor
- William Barton Wade Dent (1806–1855), American politician
Fictional characters
- Arthur Dent, principal character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Random Frequent Flyer Dent, daughter of Arthur Dent
- Hanzee Dent, character in the TV show Fargo
- Harvey Dent (Two-Face), villain from Batman's rogue gallery
- Fooly Dent, principal character in How to Treat a Lady Knight Right
See also
References
- ^ "Dent Surname Database". SurnameDB. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Dent". En-Academic.com. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Dent name meaning and origin". Crests & Arms. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Dent surname". Forebears.io. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Dent surname statistics in Great Britain". British Surnames. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Dent Surname Meaning, Origin & Distribution". 23andMe. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
External links
Media related to Dent (surname) at Wikimedia Commons