2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Penczak
A Polish surname derived from the word "pienczak" meaning "mushroom picker" or "mushroom gatherer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Penczak. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penczak 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Penczak in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penczak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penczak
The surname Penczak is of Polish origin, originating from the region of Silesia, which is now located in southwestern Poland. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, likely derived from the Polish word "pienczak," which means "man from the pine forest" or "pine forester."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Penczak surname appears in a 14th-century document from the town of Wroclaw, where a certain Mikołaj Penczak was mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Penczak name can be found in various historical records from the Silesian region, including church registers, tax rolls, and land deeds. One notable individual from this period was Jan Penczak, a wealthy merchant who lived in the city of Opole in the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, the Penczak family expanded its reach, with members settling in other parts of Poland as well as neighboring countries. One prominent figure was Franciszek Penczak (1738-1802), a renowned artist and painter who worked in the Baroque and Rococo styles.
As the 19th century dawned, the Penczak name continued to spread across Europe, with some members of the family emigrating to other parts of the world. One such individual was Kazimierz Penczak (1825-1892), a Polish writer and journalist who spent much of his life in Paris, France.
Another notable bearer of the Penczak surname was Stanisław Penczak (1870-1944), a Polish military officer who served in World War I and later became a prominent figure in the Polish resistance movement during World War II.
Throughout its history, the Penczak name has been associated with various professions, including forestry, agriculture, artistry, and military service. While the exact origins and meaning of the name may be subject to debate, it remains a prominent surname in Poland and among Polish communities worldwide, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penczak
Among Census respondents with the surname Penczak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Penczak 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 Penczak surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penczak
Penczak 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,404 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,404 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 537 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 Penczak 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 | #145,220 | #145,757 | -0.4% |
| Count | 114 | 115 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penczak bearers went from 114 to 115 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 537 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,757.
FAQ
Penczak surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penczak?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Penczak. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Penczak?
Penczak ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Penczak. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Penczak.
Has Penczak become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penczak went from 114 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Penczak?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penczak, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Penczak in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penczak appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Penczak (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 Penczak mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "pienczak" meaning "mushroom picker" or "mushroom gatherer." 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 Penczak (0.04 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 have the surname Penczak?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.