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

Peñalba, 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 Peñalba surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peñalba in America

Peñalba is the 100302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peñalba surname appeared 180 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 Peñalba.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peñalba 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 Peñalba

The surname Penalba has its origins in Spain, specifically in the Galicia region located in the northwestern part of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

Penalba is thought to be derived from a combination of two words in the Galician language – "peña," meaning rock or cliff, and "alba," meaning white or dawn. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near a white or light-colored cliff or rock formation.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Penalba can be traced back to historical documents from the region of Galicia, such as parish records and land registries. One notable example is a record from the year 1387, which mentions a Juan Penalba who was a landowner in the town of Pontevedra.

In the 15th century, the name Penalba appeared in the Libro de las Behetrías, an important medieval document that detailed the status of various towns and villages in the Kingdom of Castile. This document listed a small village called Penalba, which may have been the place of origin for some individuals bearing the surname.

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

1. Pedro Penalba (c. 1520 - 1595), a Spanish painter known for his religious works in the Renaissance style.
2. Juana Penalba (1625 - 1706), a Spanish nun who founded the Convento de las Carmelitas Descalzas in Seville.
3. Andrés Penalba y Caro (1753 - 1815), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.
4. María Penalba (1876 - 1964), a Spanish poet and writer who was part of the Generation of '98 literary movement.
5. Enrique Penalba (1892 - 1957), a Spanish composer and pianist known for his works in the zarzuela genre.

While the surname Penalba is not among the most common in Spain, it has maintained a presence throughout the country's history, particularly in the regions of Galicia and Castile.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peñalba

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

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

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

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