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Surname Etymology and Meaning of BESSENT

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Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

English: from Middle English besant, the name of a gold coin (via Old French from Latin (nummus) byzantius, so called because it was first minted at Byzantium). The surname arose as a metonymic occupational name for a minter or moneyer or else as a nickname for a man who was considered to be rich or miserly.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)