2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Panela
Originally a surname derived from the Portuguese word for a small pan or pot.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Panela. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Panela surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Panela in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Panela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 39.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.9%) and White (18.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Panela
The surname PANELA is of Spanish origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "panela," which refers to a type of unrefined whole cane sugar. This connection suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in the production or trade of this sweetener.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PANELA surname can be found in the Catalan region of Spain during the 13th century. Historical documents from that period mention individuals bearing variations of the name, such as "Panella" and "Panela," indicating the potential regional differences in spelling and pronunciation.
In the town of Vilafranca del Penedès, located in the province of Barcelona, a family by the name of PANELA is documented as having resided there since the late 15th century. This family was prominent in the local agricultural community, and their connection to the sugar industry may have contributed to the adoption of their surname.
During the Age of Exploration, the PANELA name spread beyond the borders of Spain as individuals with this surname participated in voyages and colonization efforts across the Americas. Notably, Francisco PANELA, a navigator born in Seville in 1521, accompanied the expedition of Pedro de Valdivia to Chile in the mid-16th century.
The PANELA surname also found its way to Mexico, where it gained prominence in the state of Veracruz. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name in the region was Juan PANELA, a landowner and farmer who lived in the town of Orizaba in the late 17th century.
In the realm of literature, the PANELA surname is associated with the Spanish writer and poet Ramón PANELA (1832-1902), who hailed from Valencia. His works, which often explored themes of rural life and traditions, earned him recognition during the Romantic literary movement in Spain.
Other notable individuals with the PANELA surname include:
1. María PANELA (1875-1941), a renowned Spanish opera singer who performed in prestigious venues across Europe in the early 20th century.
2. Tomás PANELA (1892-1968), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as the ambassador to several countries, including the United States and France.
3. Javier PANELA (1920-2003), a Spanish architect renowned for his contributions to the modernist movement in architecture, particularly his designs for residential and commercial buildings in Barcelona.
4. Claudia PANELA (born 1972), a Colombian artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout Latin America.
5. Enrique PANELA (born 1985), a Spanish professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of 37 in the ATP singles rankings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Panela
Among Census respondents with the surname Panela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 39.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.9%) and White (18.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Panela bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Panela surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino39.3% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.9% · 29
- White18.8% · 21
- Two or more races15.2% · 17
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Panela
Panela appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-9 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,650 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 9,650 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Panela surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #138,304 | #147,954 | -7.0% |
| Count | 121 | 112 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Panela bearers went from 121 to 112 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 9,650 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #147,954.
FAQ
Panela surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Panela?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Panela. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Panela?
Panela ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Panela. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Panela.
Has Panela become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Panela went from 121 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Panela?
Among Census respondents with the surname Panela, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 39.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.9%) and White (18.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Panela in the 2020 Census, accounting for 39.3% (44 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Panela appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (39.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.9%), White (18.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Panela (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Panela mean?
Originally a surname derived from the Portuguese word for a small pan or pot. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Panela (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Panela?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Panela at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.