Bender (surname)

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

Art, music, film, television and radio

• Aimee Bender (born 1969), American novelist
• Darren Bender, became known in the UK TV industry for launching several long running new film maker's initiatives (Coming Up & The Other Side) at broadcaster Channel 4
• David Bender, political activist and host of the radio show "Politically Direct" on Air America Radio
• David A. Bender, academic & author
• Dawn Bender (born 1935), American film, stage, and radio actress
• Hy Bender, author
• Jack Bender, American film and television director
• Lawrence Bender (born 1957), Hollywood movie producer
• Lionel Bender (disambiguation), multiple people
• Stephan Bender, American actor
• Steve Bender (1946–2006), German musician and record producer, formerly of the group Dschinghis Khan
• Arik Bender, Israeli journalist

Military and politics

• Austin Letheridge Bender (1916–1980), mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee from 1969 to 1971
• Birgitt Bender (born 1956), German politician
• Brian Bender (born 1949), retired British civil servant
• Chester R. Bender (1914–1996), fourteenth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard
• Riley A. Bender (1890–1973), Republican presidential candidate
• Ryszard Bender (born 1932), Polish nationalist author and politician
• Hans-Wilhelm Bender (1916–1982), German Luftwaffe bomber pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II

Sciences

• Carl M. Bender (born 1942), Professor of Physics at Washington University in St. Louis
• George H. Bender (1896–1961), Republican politician
• Hans Bender (1907–1991), German lecturer on the subject of parapsychology
• Harold H. Bender (1882–1951), professor of philology at Princeton University
• Harold S. Bender (1897–1962), professor of theology at Goshen College and Goshen Biblical Seminary
• Lauretta Bender (1897–1987), child neuropsychiatrist, developer of the Bender-Gestalt Test
• Margaret Bender, American anthropologist
• Mark Bender Gerstein, American physical and biological scientist
• Marvin Lionel Bender (1934–2008), American linguist
• Tom Bender, one of the American founders of the "green architecture" and "sustainability" movements
• Wesley C. Bender (1908-1995), Professor of economics at Notre Dame University

Sports

• Chief Bender (1884–1954), (actually Charles Albert Bender) Hall of Fame U.S. baseball pitcher of the early 20th century
• Gary Bender, American sportscaster
• Jacob Bender (born 1985), NFL offensive tackle
• Jakob Bender (1910–1981), German footballer
• John R. Bender, college football and basketball coach
• Jonathan Bender (born 1981), NBA player
• Lars Bender, German footballer, twin brother of Sven Bender
• Manfred Bender (born 1966), German football player and coach
• Sven Bender, German footballer, twin brother of Lars Bender
• Todd Bender, from Alpharetta, Georgia
• Thomas Bender (born 1993), Welsh Footballer
• Bob Bender (born 1957), basketball coach, currently working as an assistant with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks
• Lou Bender (1910–2009), American basketball player who helped turn the sport into a popular success in New York City during the Great Depression and helped make Madison Square Garden a destination for the sport
• Jules Bender (1914–1982), American collegiate and professional basketball player
• Walter Bender (Canadian football) (born 1961), American player of gridiron football

Other

• Jo Bender, Minnesota-based beauty queen
• Levi Yitzchok Bender (1897–1989), rabbi and leader of the Breslov community in both Uman and Jerusalem
• Steven Bender, serial entrepreneur
• Walter Bender (born 1956), president of One Laptop Per Child Software and Content
• Bloody Benders, a family of serial killers