Dent (surname)


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 and Old Norse tindr. Alternatively, it may have arisen as a medieval nickname for someone notable for their teeth, from Old French *dent*.

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. In the UK, around 11,300 individuals bear the name, ranking it the 929th most common surname. 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.

Notable individuals

A non-exhaustive list of notable people with the surname includes:

Fictional characters