Find out how popular the last name DePena is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DePena.

DePena, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the DePena surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DePena in America

DePena is the 27110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DePena surname appeared 893 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname DePena.

We can also compare 2010 data for DePena to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name DePena

The surname DEPENA has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal. It is derived from the Spanish word "peña," which means "rock" or "cliff," often referring to a prominent physical feature in the landscape.

The name DEPENA likely originated as a topographic surname, given to individuals who lived near or were associated with a particular rock formation or cliff. This practice of deriving surnames from geographic features was common in the Middle Ages.

Historical records suggest that the name DEPENA first appeared in written documents as early as the 12th century, during the time of the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

One notable mention of the DEPENA name can be found in the Libro de las Behetrías, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century that documented landholdings and properties in the Kingdom of Castile.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname DEPENA was Gonzalo de Peña, a Spanish military commander who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century.

Another notable figure was Diego de Peña, a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.

In the 16th century, Pedro de Peña was a renowned Spanish architect and sculptor who worked on various cathedrals and churches across Spain, including the Cathedral of Seville.

During the 17th century, Juan de Peña y Hurtado was a prominent Spanish lawyer and jurist who served as a judge in the Royal Chancery of Valladolid.

In the 18th century, Francisco de Peña y Porras was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1759 to 1761.

As the name DEPENA spread across the Iberian Peninsula and eventually to the Americas, it underwent various spelling variations, including de la Peña, Peña, and Pena.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DePena

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DePena.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DePena was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of DePena has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name DePena was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of DePena, please contact us.

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