# Brent (name)

Brent is an Old English given name and surname. The place name can be from Celtic words meaning "holy one" (if it refers to the River Brent), or "high place", literally, "from a steep hill" (if it refers to the villages in Somerset and Devon). The surname often indicates that one's ancestors lived in a place called Brent.
Brent has also become a regularly used given name in some countries, being among the thousand most common names for boys born in the United States since 1933. When used as a given name today, Brent is sometimes a short form of Brenton, but this was probably not the original inspiration for Brent's use as a given name, since Brenton's own regular use as a first name came many years after Brent was established in that role.

## Notable people
### Surname

* Bix Brent (1923–1972), American singer
* Charles Brent (1862–1929), Canadian-born missionary bishop of the Philippines and Episcopal Church saint
* Dannielle Brent (born 1979), English actress
* Earl K. Brent (1914–1977), American songwriter and composer
* Ebony Rainford-Brent (born 1983), English cricketer
* Elinor Brent-Dyer (1894–1969), British novelist
* Evelyn Brent (1901–1975), American actress
* Gary Brent (born 1976), Zimbabwean cricketer
* George Brent (politician) (died 1699), Virginia planter and legislator
* George Brent (1899–1979), Irish actor
* George William Brent (1821–1872), Virginia politician
* Jon Brent (born 1956), Zimbabwean cricketer
* Joseph Brent (born 1976), American musician
* Joseph Lancaster Brent (1826–1925), Confederate officer and American politician
* Leslie Brent (1925–2019), German immunologist
* Margaret Brent (1601–1671), American/Maryland lawyer, religious leader and planter and women's rights advocate
* Richard P. Brent (born 1946), Australian mathematician and computer scientist
* Richard Brent (politician) (1757–1814), Virginia politician
* Robert Brent (1763–1819), American politician, first mayor of Washington D.C.
* Tim Brent (born 1984), Canadian ice hockey player
* Tony Brent (1927–1993), the stage name of Reginald Hogan Bretagne, British traditional pop music singer, most active in the 1950s
* William Brent Jr. (1783–1848), Virginia politician and American diplomat
* William Lee Brent (1931–2006), hijacker and civil rights activist
* William Leigh Brent (1784–1848), Maryland and Louisiana politician

### Given name

* Brent Ashabranner (1921–2016), American Peace Corps administrator and children's literature writer
* Brent Burns (born 1985), Canadian ice hockey player
* Brent Butt (born 1966), Canadian comedian and actor
* Brent Chapman, Canadian politician
* Brent Corrigan (born 1986), stage name of American porn actor Sean Paul Lockhart
* Brent Cox, American politician
* Brent Deklerck (born 2006), Belgian gymnast
* Brent W. Jett Jr. (born 1958), American astronaut
* Brent Jones (born 1963), American football player
* Brent Harris, Baltimore Orioles sideline reporter and studio host from 2004 to 2006
* Brent Hartinger (born 1971), American writer
* Brent Hawkins (born 1983), National Football League player, Canadian Football player
* Brent Hinds (born 1974), American singer for the heavy metal band Mastodon
* Brent Hinkley (born 1962), American actor in the TV series The Preston Episodes
* Brent Johnson (disambiguation), several people
* Brent Kite (born 1981), Australian Rugby League player
* Brent Ladds (born 1951), Canadian ice hockey administrator
* Brent Mayne (born 1968), former Major League Baseball player
* Brent Meuleman (born 1988), Belgian politician
* Brent Morin (born 1986), American comedian and actor
* Brent Musburger (born 1939), American journalist and sportscaster
* Brent Mydland (1952–1990), American keyboardist, member of the Grateful Dead
* Brent Petrus (born 1975), American football player
* Brent Pierce (born 1969), Canadian curler
* Brent Rivera (born 1998), American YouTuber, social media personality, and actor
* Brent Rooker (born 1994), American professional baseball player
* Brent Seabrook (born 1985), Canadian ice hockey defenceman for the Chicago Blackhawks
* Brent Scowcroft (1925–2020), American general, U.S. National Security Advisor from 1974 to 1977 and 1989 to 1993
* Brent Smith (born 1978), American singer for the band Shinedown
* Brent Spiner (born 1949), American actor
* Brent Sutter (born 1962) Canadian former ice hockey player
* Brent Symonette (born 1954), Bahamian politician
* Brent Tate (born 1982), Australian Rugby League player
* R. Brent Tully (born 1943), American astronomer
* Brent Underwood, American YouTuber
* Brent Webster, American lawyer

## Fictional Characters

* Brent McHale aka Baby Brent, a character from the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs franchise.
* David Brent, a character from the British sitcom The Office played by Ricky Gervais