2000
#4,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.00
Rare Last name
Pannell
A surname of English origin, referring to someone who lived near or worked at a panel or trellis.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,441 Americans carry the last name Pannell. That puts it at #4,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pannell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pannell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,305
Census rank
#4,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,233 bearers of the surname Pannell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pannell, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pannell
The Pannell surname is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "panne," which referred to a pan or a shallow vessel used for cooking or baking. This suggests that the name may have originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked with pans, such as a baker or a metalworker.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for people with the surname Pannell or similar spellings like Pannel or Pannell. This indicates that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Pannell surname dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where a William Pannell is mentioned. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, which lists a John Pannell.
The name Pannell has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Pannell in Kent and Pannall in Yorkshire. These places may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname in different regions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Pannell surname. One of the earliest was Sir William Pannell (c. 1400 – c. 1470), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the War of the Roses.
Another notable figure was Thomas Pannell (c. 1530 – 1599), an English merchant and explorer who was one of the first Englishmen to visit Japan in the late 16th century. He played a significant role in establishing trade relations between England and Japan.
In the 17th century, Edward Pannell (1619 – 1668) was a renowned English engraver and illustrator known for his intricate and detailed works, including illustrations for books and maps.
During the 18th century, William Pannell (1738 – 1821) was a influential English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford and the University of Cambridge's Senate House.
In the 19th century, Henry Pannell (1826 – 1901) was a prominent British horticulturist and nurseryman who introduced several new plant varieties and made significant contributions to the field of horticulture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pannell
Among Census respondents with the surname Pannell, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Pannell 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 Pannell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.2% · 5,117
- Black or African American28.3% · 2,329
- Two or more races5.6% · 458
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 251
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pannell
Pannell appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,687
+584 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#4,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,233
-454 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,022 | 8,103 | 3.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,089 | 8,687 | 2.94 | +584 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #4,164 | 8,233 | 2.75 | -454 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 75 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 Pannell 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 | #4,089 | #4,164 | -1.8% |
| Count | 8,687 | 8,233 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.94 | 2.75 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pannell bearers went from 8,687 to 8,233 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,089 to #4,164.
FAQ
Pannell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pannell?
Name Census estimates that about 9,441 living Americans carry the surname Pannell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,305 residents.
How common is Pannell?
Pannell ranks #4,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,233 people with the surname Pannell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,441), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Pannell.
Has Pannell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pannell went from 8,687 recorded bearers to 8,233. That is a decrease of 454 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,089 to #4,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Pannell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pannell, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pannell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.2% (5,117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pannell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.2%), Black (28.3%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Pannell (2000, 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 Pannell mean?
A surname of English origin, referring to someone who lived near or worked at a panel or trellis. 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 Pannell (2.75 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 many Americans have the surname Pannell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.