An English surname, Bentley comes from the Old English terms ‘beonet’ and ‘leah’ which means a clearing of reeds and bent-glass or rushes in a field. The spelling variations for Bentley include Bently, Bentli and Bentlie. In England the Bentley surname is very populated in Shropshire, Derbyshire, Hampshire, Essex, Suffolk, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Yorkshire. The Bentley name is generally found all across England and Wales. In Scotland most with the Bentley family name live in Renfrewshire, Midlothian, Ayrshire, Perthshire and Lanarkshire. Within the United States the Bentley family name originated in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Rhode Island, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Virginia. Famous: Stephanie Bentley (singer), Cy Bentley (professional baseball player), Walter Owen Bentley (founder of Bentley Motors Limited), David Bentley (professional footballer of England), Wes Bentley (actor), Thomas Bentley (movie film director of England), Nicolas Bentley (writer and illustrator in England), Matt James Bentley (professional wrestler) and John Francis Bentley (19th century English architect for Westminster Cathedral of London).