What was Mrs Bennet's maiden surname in Pride and Prejudice?

Mrs Bennet’s maiden surname in Pride and Prejudice is Gardiner.

She is the daughter of Mr Gardiner, described as a Meryton attorney, and she is the sister of Mr Edward Gardiner and Mrs Philips. Her marriage to Mr Bennet therefore connects the Longbourn family to the Gardiner and Philips branches of her birth family.

The Gardiners are important because they contrast with Mrs Bennet’s poor judgment and social anxiety. Edward Gardiner is sensible, considerate, and financially responsible, while his wife is a calm and affectionate influence on Elizabeth. Their home in London and their later involvement in the Wickham crisis show that commercial connections are not automatically signs of bad character.

Readers can confuse Gardiner with Philips, but Philips is the married surname of Mrs Bennet’s sister. “Bennet” is Mrs Bennet’s married name, while Gardiner is the family surname she had before marriage. Austen does not give Mrs Bennet a personal first name in the novel.