Bender (surname)

The surname Bender derives from both English and German origin.

In England, it derives from old Benden or Benbow. In Germany, it is a form of Fassbinder or Fassbender (Cooper). It is an occupational name in both English and German forms.

Academics

• Carl M. Bender (born 1943), American applied mathematician and mathematical physicist
• David A. Bender, nutritional biochemist
• Harold H. Bender (1882–1951), professor of philology at Princeton University
• Harold S. Bender (1897–1962), professor of theology
• Lauretta Bender (1897–1987), American child neuropsychiatrist, developer of the Bender-Gestalt Test
• Lionel Bender (1934–2008), American linguist
• Margaret Bender, American anthropologist
• Mark Bender Gerstein, American physical and biological scientist
• Tom Bender (architect) (fl. 1970s-present), American architect, one of the American founders of the "green architecture" and "sustainability" movements

Arts and entertainment

• Aimee Bender (born 1969), American novelist
• Chris Bender (film producer) (born 1971), American film producer
• Chris Bender (singer) (1972–1991), American R&B singer
• Darren Bender, known in the UK TV industry for launching several long running new filmmaker initiatives
• Dawn Bender (born 1935), American actress
• Eleanor Bender, American actress
• Howard Bender (born 1951), American comics artist
• Jack Bender (born 1949), American film and television director, television producer and former actor
• Karen Bender, American fiction and nonfiction writer
• Lawrence Bender (born 1957), Hollywood movie producer
• Lon Bender (fl. 1977-present), American Oscar-winning sound editor, businessman and inventor
• Steve Bender (1946–2006), German musician and record producer, formerly of the group Dschinghis Khan
• William Bender (1930–2014), American music critic

Military

• Chester R. Bender (1914–1996), fourteenth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard
• Hans-Wilhelm Bender (1916–1982), German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot
• Stanley Bender (1909–1994), United States Army staff sergeant awarded the Medal of Honor

Politics

• Austin Letheridge Bender (1916–1980), mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee (1969–1971)
• Birgitt Bender (born 1956), German politician
• David Bender, political activist and host of the radio show "Politically Direct" on Air America Radio
• George H. Bender (1896–1961), Republican politician
• John Bender (Ohio politician), member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1993–2000)
• Lisa Bender (born 1978), American politician and city planner
• Osvaldo Bender (1934–2024), Brazilian businessman and politician
• Riley A. Bender (1890–1973), Republican presidential candidate
• Ryszard Bender (1932–2016), Polish politician and historian
• Silvia Bender (born 1970), German politician

Sports

• Anthony Bender (born 1995), American baseball player
• Bob Bender (born 1957), American National Basketball Association assistant coach
• Charles Chief Bender (1884–1954), American Hall-of-Fame baseball pitcher
• Denise Bender (fl. 1970s-1980s), American retired soccer player
• Dragan Bender (born 1997), Croatian basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Garrett Bender (born 1991), American rugby union player
• Gary Bender (born 1940), American retired sportscaster
• Jacob Bender (born 1985), National Football League player
• Jakob Bender (1910–1981), German footballer
• John R. Bender (1882–1928), American football player and coach of college football, basketball, and baseball
• Jonathan Bender (born 1981), American retired National Basketball Association player
• Jules Bender (1914–1982), American basketball player
• Lars Bender (born 1989), German footballer, twin brother of Sven Bender
• Lars Bender (footballer, born 1988), German footballer
• Lou Bender (1910–2009), American basketball player
• Manfred Bender (born 1966), German football manager and former player
• Sven Bender (born 1989), German footballer, twin brother of Lars Bender
• Tim Bender (born 1957), American former snowmobile and NASCAR driver
• Todd Bender, American skeet shooter
• Tom Bender (footballer) (born 1993), Welsh footballer
• Walter Bender (Canadian football) (born 1961), American player of gridiron football

Other

• Sir Brian Bender (1949–2021), British civil servant
• Bryan Bender (born 1972), American journalist
• Charles Bender (1896–1993), Canadian rabbi
• Doris Marie Bender (1911–1991), American social worker
• Frank Bender (1941–2011), American forensic artist
• Hans Bender (1907–1991), German parapsychologist
• Levi Yitzchok Bender (1897–1989), rabbi and leader of the Breslov community in both Uman and Jerusalem
• Michael L. Bender (born 1942), former Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court
• Steven Bender (1950–2010), American serial entrepreneur
• Walter Bender (born 1956), American software engineer and expert in electronic publishing

Fictional characters and nicknames

• Bloody Benders, a family of serial killers
• Ostap Bender, a fictional con man who appeared in the novels The Twelve Chairs and The Little Golden Calf by Soviet authors Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov

See also

• Anthony Strollo (1899–1962), New York mobster also known as "Tony Bender"