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

Peñafiel, 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 Peñafiel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peñafiel in America

Peñafiel is the 22235th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peñafiel surname appeared 1,160 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 Peñafiel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peñafiel 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 Peñafiel

The surname Penafiel is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to be derived from the place name "Peñafiel," which is a town located in the province of Valladolid, Spain. The name itself is a combination of the Spanish words "peña," meaning "rock," and "fiel," meaning "loyal" or "faithful."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Penafiel can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a 14th-century manuscript that documented the landholdings and privileges of various noble families in the Kingdom of Castile. This suggests that individuals bearing the Penafiel surname were likely associated with the town of Peñafiel or its surrounding areas during that time.

In the 15th century, the town of Peñafiel gained historical significance as the site of a pivotal battle during the Castilian civil war, which saw the forces of King Henry IV triumph over those of his half-brother, the future King Alfonso XII. It is possible that some individuals involved in this conflict or associated with the town adopted the Penafiel surname as a result.

One notable figure bearing the Penafiel surname was Pedro de Penafiel, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico in the early 16th century. Pedro de Penafiel was born around 1490 and played a role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire, serving as a captain under Cortés.

Another historical figure was Juan de Penafiel, a Spanish Catholic priest and missionary who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Juan de Penafiel was born in Valladolid in 1567 and traveled to the Americas, where he worked as a missionary among indigenous populations in what is now Mexico and Central America.

In the 17th century, the Penafiel surname was also associated with the town of Peñafiel in Portugal, which is located near the Spanish border. One individual of note was Álvaro de Penafiel, a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who served during the Portuguese Restoration War against Spain in the 1640s.

Moving into the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the Penafiel surname was Diego de Penafiel, a Spanish painter and artist who was active in the latter half of the 1700s. Diego de Penafiel was born in Madrid in 1745 and is known for his religious paintings and portraiture, with several of his works still displayed in churches and museums across Spain.

Throughout its history, the surname Penafiel has maintained a strong connection to its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, with many individuals bearing the name tracing their lineage back to the towns and regions of Peñafiel in Spain and Portugal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peñafiel

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

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

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

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