GHENT
Ghent is a surname of English origin which functions as a locational name derived from the city of Ghent in Belgium. The name indicates that the original bearer had a connection to that city, either by birth or by migration to other regions, particularly during periods of political or religious unrest.
The surname also has roots in early medieval French as a nickname for a person who was “well born, courteous and noble in conduct”. This meaning is inherited from the Middle English word gente, itself a development of the Old French word gent, which conveyed the sense of nobility or good birth. Variants of the name that arise from this origin include Jent and Ghent.
Records of the name appear as early as the late 12th century. One such record is that of Robert le Gent, dated 1195 in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart. John Gent is further mentioned in the 1200 Pipe Rolls for Worcestershire.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, a notable bearer of the surname was Thomas Gent (1693–1778), a printer and topographer. He was a member of the Stationers' Company, was admitted to the Freedom of the City of London in 1717, and settled in York in 1724 where he became the sole printer in the city and county. He printed his own histories of York (1730) and Ripon (1734).
In the 15th century, a distinguished Coat of Arms was granted to William Gent of 1468, and his grandson became a Baron of the Court of Exchequer. The blazon of the arms is described as an ermine shield, a chief indented sable bearing a label of three points gules, on each point three bezants, with a crest of an eagle displayed.
In contemporary times the surname is most common in the United States. The 2020 Census records over 5,700 Americans with the name, the majority living in Michigan. The city of Ghent in western Michigan, which was named after the Belgian city, is thought to account for this concentration. The name is also found in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Canada, particularly in Ontario and Alberta where Dutch settlers established communities in the 19th century.
There are several recognised variants of the surname, all of which share the same source. These include Gent – an English variant from the Belgian city; Ganth, an Indian variant used by Gujarati and Hindu communities; Gaunt, an English variant derived from the old French gaunt meaning “slim”; Ghente, a German variant linked to the Belgian city; Gantt, an American version derived from the Dutch van Gantt; Gant, a French variant from the older term gant meaning glove; and Ghenton, an English variant believed to derive from an old French settlement near the Belgian city. All these forms trace back to the same locational root and share a common lineage.
Typical given names associated with the Ghent surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- Jeremy
- John
- Michael
- Nigel
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Simon
- Stephen
Female
- Amanda
- Angela
- Catherine
- Cathrine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jacqueline
- Lynne
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Odette
- Susan
- Valerie
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Ghent in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 361 people named Ghent in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around six in a million people in Britain are named Ghent.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Ghent
- Matthew Ghent - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.