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

Palenzuela, 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 Palenzuela surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Palenzuela in America

Palenzuela is the 45026th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Palenzuela surname appeared 476 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 Palenzuela.

We can also compare 2010 data for Palenzuela 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 Palenzuela

The surname Palenzuela is of Spanish origin, deriving from the medieval town of Palenzuela in the province of Palencia, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, during the height of the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.

Palenzuela was a strategically important town during this era, situated along the Camino de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage route to the shrine of St. James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. As such, the name Palenzuela appears in various historical records and manuscripts related to the Reconquista and the Camino de Santiago.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Palenzuela can be found in the Libro Becerro, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 13th century, which documented the properties and privileges of various religious institutions and noble families in the region. The name is also mentioned in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript describing the Camino de Santiago and its history.

Over the centuries, the surname Palenzuela has been associated with several notable individuals, including:

1. Pedro de Palenzuela (c. 1210-1280), a Spanish Franciscan friar and renowned theologian who served as the Bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo and played a crucial role in the Council of Lyon in 1274.

2. Alonso de Palenzuela (c. 1460-1520), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands and later accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493.

3. Beatriz de Palenzuela (c. 1520-1590), a Spanish noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of renowned artists such as El Greco and her role in the cultural renaissance of Toledo during the 16th century.

4. Diego de Palenzuela (c. 1580-1650), a Spanish architect and master builder who designed several notable churches and buildings in Seville, including the Church of San Isidoro del Campo and the Hospital de la Caridad.

5. Juana de Palenzuela (c. 1625-1705), a Spanish nun and mystic who founded the Convent of the Incarnation in Ávila and was renowned for her spiritual writings and teachings.

The name Palenzuela has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, such as Palenzuela de las Monjas and Palenzuela de Yepes, reflecting the historic presence and influence of families bearing this surname in different regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Palenzuela

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

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 Palenzuela 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 Palenzuela 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 Palenzuela was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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