2010
#112,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Penalopez
A Spanish surname derived from the combination of "peña" meaning "rock" or "cliff" and "López" meaning "son of Lope."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 368 Americans carry the last name Penalopez. That puts it at #66,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 931,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penalopez 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
368
1 in 931,398
Census rank
#66,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
321
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 321 bearers of the surname Penalopez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 66499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penalopez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.6%) and White (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penalopez
The surname PENALOPEZ is believed to have originated in Spain during the late medieval period, likely in the 15th or 16th century. It is a combination of two Spanish words, "pena" meaning "rock" or "cliff," and "lopez," a patronymic surname derived from the given name "Lope," which itself is a contraction of the Spanish form of the name "Ludovicus" or "Louis."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname PENALOPEZ can be found in a 16th-century Spanish military record, where a soldier named Juan PENALOPEZ is mentioned as having served in the Spanish army during the Conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals from the Spanish regions of Castile or Extremadura, from where many of the conquistadors originated.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the surname PENALOPEZ was Miguel PENALOPEZ, a Spanish painter and engraver who was active in Madrid between 1650 and 1680. His works, which included religious paintings and engravings, can still be found in some Spanish churches and museums.
During the 18th century, the PENALOPEZ surname appeared in several Spanish colonial records from the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru. One such record mentions a landowner named Diego PENALOPEZ, who was granted a large hacienda in the Mexican state of Veracruz in the 1780s.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the surname PENALOPEZ was José María PENALOPEZ, a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Congress of Mexico from 1848 to 1852. He was born in Puebla in 1810 and was known for his advocacy of liberal reforms and civil rights.
Another notable individual with the PENALOPEZ surname was Pedro PENALOPEZ, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Carlist Wars of the 1830s and 1840s. He was born in Seville in 1805 and rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Spanish army before his death in 1868.
While the PENALOPEZ surname is not among the most common in Spain or Latin America, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in medieval Spain. Its combination of Spanish words and patronymic structure reflects the cultural and linguistic traditions of the Iberian Peninsula.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penalopez
Among Census respondents with the surname Penalopez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.6%) and White (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Penalopez 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 Penalopez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino98.4% · 316
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- White0.3% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penalopez
Penalopez 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
#66,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 321
+165 bearers (+105.8%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 46,069 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #112,568 | 156 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #66,499 | 321 | 0.11 | +165 bearers (+105.8%) | Up 46,069 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 Penalopez 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 | #112,568 | #66,499 | 40.9% |
| Count | 156 | 321 | 105.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.11 | 114.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penalopez bearers went from 156 to 321 (+105.8% change). The surname moved up 46,069 positions in the national ranking, going from #112,568 to #66,499.
FAQ
Penalopez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penalopez?
Name Census estimates that about 368 living Americans carry the surname Penalopez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 931,398 residents.
How common is Penalopez?
Penalopez ranks #66,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 321 people with the surname Penalopez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Penalopez.
Has Penalopez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penalopez went from 156 recorded bearers to 321. That is an increase of 165 (+105.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #112,568 to #66,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Penalopez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penalopez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.6%) and White (0.3%). 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 Penalopez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.4% (316 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penalopez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (98.4%), Black (0.6%), White (0.3%). 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 Penalopez (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 Penalopez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the combination of "peña" meaning "rock" or "cliff" and "López" meaning "son of Lope." 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 Penalopez (0.11 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 Penalopez?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.