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