Besant (surname) Besant is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Annie Besant (1847–1933), British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator
*Derek Michael Besant (born 1950), Canadian artist
*Walter Besant (1836–1901), E ...
Bezant
In the Middle Ages, the term bezant (Old French ''besant'', from Latin ''bizantius aureus'') was used in Western Europe to describe several gold coins of the east, all derived ultimately from the Roman ''solidus''. The word itself comes from th ...