History of your Surname
Get access to Gent family records.Start a free trial

Gent Family History

Gent Name Meaning

English (northern) and French: nickname from Old French gent Middle English gent(e) ‘high born noble’ hence ‘noble of character or conduct courteous’ also ‘nice friendly’. English: habitational name from Ghent (Gent in Dutch) a city in Flanders Belgium. Compare Ghent . German: from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with gand ‘spell’ such as Gandolf. Dutch (Van Gent): habitational name for someone from the place Gent nowadays formally spelled Gendt near Nijmegen in the province of Gelderland or from Gent in Flanders Belgium.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Dent, Gant, Ghent, Best, Kent, Geng, Bent, Went, Genn, Great

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Gent family from?

You can see how Gent families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gent family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gent families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 6 Gent families living in Maryland. This was about 22% of all the recorded Gent's in USA. Maryland and 1 other state had the highest population of Gent families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gent surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map

What did your Gent ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Gent. 17% of Gent men worked as a Laborer and 14% of Gent women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gent were Carpenter and Cook. .

View Census Data for Gent | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    17%
  • Farmer
    16%
  • Clerk
    5%
  • Carpenter
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    14%
  • Teacher
    8%
  • Housewife
    8%
  • Cook
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Gent family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 53,000 census records available for the last name Gent. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gent census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Gent

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Gent. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Gent immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Gent. For the veterans among your Gent ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gent military records

You've only scratched the surface of Gent family history

Discover More

What is the average Gent lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Gent life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1994. The average life expectancy for Gent in 1944 was 25, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gent

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Gent family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Gent last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial