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

Peñate, 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 Peñate surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Peñate in America

Peñate is the 13696th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Peñate surname appeared 2,211 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Peñate.

We can also compare 2010 data for Peñate 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 Peñate

The surname Penate originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "peñate," which means "rocky or stony place." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in a mountainous or rocky area.

Penate is a locational surname, meaning it was originally used to identify someone from a specific place or region. In this case, the name likely originated in a village or town with a name related to the word "peñate" or a rocky terrain. However, the exact location of its origin is unclear.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Penate can be found in the Becerro Antiguo de Castilla, a census of landowners and taxpayers in the Kingdom of Castile during the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This suggests that the name was already established and in use by that time.

In the 16th century, a man named Juan de Penate was mentioned in historical records as a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. His birth and death dates are unknown, but his presence in these early colonial records demonstrates the surname's longevity.

Another notable figure with the surname Penate was Pedro Penate, a Spanish artist and painter who lived in the 17th century. He was known for his religious works and paintings depicting scenes from the Bible. Pedro Penate's exact birth and death years are uncertain, but his artistic contributions helped to preserve the name in historical records.

In the 19th century, a man named Manuel Penate y Fernández (1833-1912) was a prominent figure in Puerto Rico. He was a lawyer, politician, and advocate for Puerto Rican independence from Spanish rule. His legacy as a leader in the Puerto Rican independence movement ensured that the Penate surname remained prominent.

Lastly, José Penate Polanco (1876-1940) was a Nicaraguan writer and journalist who played a significant role in promoting Nicaraguan culture and literature during the early 20th century. His works, including poetry and essays, helped to further establish the Penate name in literary and cultural circles of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Peñate

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

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

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

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