The surname Bennington is generally of English origin and is a habitational name, meaning it originally referred to someone from a place called Bennington or Benington in England. The place name is commonly traced to Old English elements meaning “the settlement of Beonna’s people.”

Origin

  • It likely comes from places in Lincolnshire and Hertfordshire in England.
  • The name is built from an Old English personal name such as Beonna or Benna , plus elements meaning “people of” and “settlement.”
  • In other words, it started as a place-based surname before becoming hereditary.

Historical notes

  • Records tied to the name appear in medieval English sources, including the Domesday Book and later rolls from the 1200s.
  • That pattern is typical of many English surnames that began as identifiers for where a family lived.

Meaning in plain English

Think of Bennington as meaning something like “people from Beonna’s settlement” or “settlement of Beonna’s people.”

Bottom line

It’s an old English place-name surname , not originally a job title or a descriptive nickname.