# 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
* Robert Bender (1936–2025), American politician
* 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