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Bentley

♀ Girl

Pronounced BENT-lee /ˈbɛnt.li/Medium

Meaning: From an English surname and place name meaning 'meadow with bent grass' (Old English 'beonet' grass + 'leah' clearing/meadow); also associated with the luxury car brand.Medium

In 30 seconds: Bentley comes from an English surname and place name meaning 'meadow with bent grass', from Old English 'beonet' (a grass) and 'leah' (a clearing or meadow). It is also widely linked to the luxury car brand.

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Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningFrom an English surname and place name meaning 'meadow with bent grass' (Old English 'beonet' grass + 'leah' clearing/meadow); also associated with the luxury car brand.

U.S. rank (2024)#1702 ↘ Falling

2024 U.S. births119 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2011

Total births (all-time)≈ 3,388

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

The name describes a real kind of landscape: a clearing or meadow where bent grass grows, built from the Old English elements 'beonet' and 'leah'. It served first as a place name and then a surname before moving into use as a given name. For many parents today its luxury-car association adds a second layer of appeal.

On a girl, Bentley keeps its crisp, two-beat surname sound while reading as fresh and current. The 'leah' ending ties it to a large group of English place names that became first names.

Did you know? Bentley likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.

Overall data confidence 78%

Behind the Name - Bentley — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Bentley…

Everleigh— another English place-name style girls' name with the meadow-rooted '-leigh' ending

Brinley— shares the Old English '-ley' meadow element and surname feel

Hadley— an English '-ley' place name used as a girls' given name like Bentley

Presley— a surname-turned-first-name with the same crisp '-ley' sound

Frequently Asked

What does the name Bentley mean?

Bentley is usually explained as meaning 'bentgrass' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Bentley?

It's commonly said BENT-lee /ˈbɛnt.li/.

Is Bentley a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Bentley is used as a girl name.

How popular is Bentley?

In 2024, Bentley ranked #1702 in the U.S. for girls, with 119 births recorded.