2000
#16,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,553
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Penate
Derived from the Latin word "penates," referring to household gods or deities protecting the home and family.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,761 Americans carry the last name Penate. That puts it at #12,329 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,141 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penate 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
2.8K
1 in 124,141
Census rank
#12,329
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,408 bearers of the surname Penate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12329th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penate
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penate
Among Census respondents with the surname Penate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Penate 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 Penate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 2,289
- White3.9% · 95
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penate
Penate 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
#13,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,211
+658 bearers (+42.4%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 3,210 places
2020
#12,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,408
+197 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 1,367 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,906 | 1,553 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,696 | 2,211 | 0.75 | +658 bearers (+42.4%) | Up 3,210 places |
| 2020 | #12,329 | 2,408 | 0.81 | +197 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 1,367 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 Penate 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 | #13,696 | #12,329 | 10.0% |
| Count | 2,211 | 2,408 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.81 | 7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penate bearers went from 2,211 to 2,408 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 1,367 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,696 to #12,329.
FAQ
Penate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penate?
Name Census estimates that about 2,761 living Americans carry the surname Penate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,141 residents.
How common is Penate?
Penate ranks #12,329 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,408 people with the surname Penate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,761), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Penate.
Has Penate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penate went from 2,211 recorded bearers to 2,408. That is an increase of 197 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,696 to #12,329.
What does the Census say about the background of Penate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Black (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Penate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (2,289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (3.9%), Black (0.6%). 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 Penate (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 Penate mean?
Derived from the Latin word "penates," referring to household gods or deities protecting the home and family. 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 Penate (0.81 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 people are called Penate?
See how common the surname Penate is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.