Sargent is a surname of Latin (possibly Etruscan), early medieval English and Old French origin, and has also been used as a given name.
[2] The surname of Sargent in the various ways in which it is spelled is said to have come from the Latin phrase, "servientes armorum" (men discharging a military service) and therefore, soldiers [Sergeant] ("Serjens d'Armes"); and "Serjiant of the Law" [Serjeant-at-law] ("Serviens ad Legem") was also a term in very early use.
The English translation of Serviens into Sargent did not appear until the reign of Henry III or Edward I.
[3][4][5] Today, the surname has many variant spellings ranging from Sargant, Sargeant and Seargeant to Sergant, Searjeant and Sergeaunt.
[6] Notable people with the name include: