An English, Irish and Scottish surname, Kent was originally a Celtic term ’canto’ which refers to a borderland or rim. The county of Kent in England was originally spelled ‘Cantia”, then changed to ‘Cent‘. The spelling variations for Kent include Kents, Kente, Cant, Kindt, Kint, Keent and Kentish. In England the Kent population are primarily in the city of London, Suffolk, Hampshire, Sussex, Cornwall, Yorkshire, Kent, Staffordshire and Lancashire. In Scotland the Kent families originated in East Lothian. Over the centuries they moved into the Orkney Islands and into Lancashire and Argyll. In Ireland many Kent families settled in Meath, coming from England or Scotland. Within the United States the Kent families originated in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, California, Washington, New Jersey, Virginia, Indiana, Iowa, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. Famous: Arthur Atwater Kent (inventor of the auto ignition coil and the manufacturing of radios), Don Kent (professional wrestler), Enid Kent (actress), Marvin Kent (19th century railroad businessman and for whom the town of Kent, Ohio was named), Robert E. Kent (movie film producer), Rolfe Kent (music composer from England), William Kent (18th century English architect), Sean Kent (comic) and Paul Kent (champion swimmer from New Zealand).