Bennett

Meaning of Bennett

Bennett, pronounced BEH-nit, began as the medieval English form of Benedict, drawn from the Latin Benedictus, “blessed,” and imported into Britain by the Normans before drifting into widespread use as a surname. While most people first meet it on the mailboxes of Pride and Prejudice’s long-suffering Mr. and Mrs. Bennet or on the marquee of crooner Tony Bennett, American parents have quietly reversed the flow: the name has risen from a sleepy rank around 550 in the mid-1990s to a confident 59 in 2024. The appeal is threefold—an upbeat meaning, a trim two-syllable shape, and the ready nickname Ben—yet Bennett feels a shade more tailored than Benjamin and a touch softer than Beckett, occupying the sartorial middle ground between tweed and denim. Its Anglo-American polish allows it to move easily from rugby pitch to boardroom, and while no name can guarantee perpetual good fortune, a moniker that literally means “blessed” isn’t the worst place to start.