A German and English surname, the Bender family name comes from the Old German terms of ‘fassbinder’ and ‘fassbender’ which meant a cooper (barrel maker). From the Old English terms ‘benden’ and ‘benbow’ which meant a bow maker for the weapon of a bow and arrow. The spelling variations for Bender include Bandder, Bennder, Bander, Bannder and Bendder. The German region of Baden is where most with the Bender surname originated. This is in the southwest section of Germany which borders along the Rhine river. In England there is a light scattering of Bender individuals from the north to the south of the county. Most are centered in the city of London and neighboring counties. In Scotland the few locations for Bender families are Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Renfrewshire, and Stirlingshire. Within the United States the Bender surname originated New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Alabama. Famous: Dawn Bender (movie film and theater actress), Aimee Bender (novelist), Lawrence Bender (movie film producer), Hy Bender (author), Kitt Bender (musician), Steve Bender (German record producer), Russ Bender (screenwriter and actor), Lionel Bender (English children’s book author) and Jack Bender (movie film and television producer).