2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Pendill
English surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "hill rising up on both sides".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Pendill. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pendill 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Pendill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendill, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pendill
The surname Pendill has its origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture that once thrived in the region of England. It is derived from the Old English words "pyndan," meaning "to pen" or "enclose," and "hyll," meaning "hill." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on or near a hilltop enclosure or pen.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Pendill can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and taxation conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This ancient manuscript mentions a landowner named Edric Pendill in the county of Berkshire.
In the 13th century, records show a Thomas de Pendhill residing in the county of Oxfordshire. The variation in spelling, with "Pendhill" replacing the earlier "Pendill," highlights the fluidity of surname spellings during that time period.
One notable bearer of the Pendill name was Sir Richard Pendill, a prominent knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century. He was born in 1310 and distinguished himself in numerous battles against the French, earning him a place in the annals of English military history.
Another historical figure with this surname was John Pendill, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century. Born in 1432, he was a fellow at Oxford University and authored several influential works on religious doctrine and philosophy.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Pendill family settled in the village of Pendle, located in the county of Lancashire. This may have influenced the variant spelling of "Pendle" or "Pendell," which is still found in some records from that era.
Other notable individuals with the Pendill surname include William Pendill (1567-1641), a successful merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol, and Margaret Pendill (1701-1783), a prominent philanthropist who established several charitable institutions in her hometown of York.
While the Pendill surname may have evolved over time and spread to various regions, its roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon settlements of ancient England, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for those residing on or near a hilltop enclosure.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pendill
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendill, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pendill 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 Pendill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pendill
Pendill 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 4,250 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 Pendill 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 | #158,432 | #154,182 | 2.7% |
| Count | 102 | 103 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pendill bearers went from 102 to 103 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,250 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,182.
FAQ
Pendill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pendill?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Pendill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Pendill?
Pendill ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Pendill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pendill.
Has Pendill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pendill went from 102 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Pendill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pendill, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Pendill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pendill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Pendill (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 Pendill mean?
English surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "hill rising up on both sides". 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 Pendill (0.03 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 Pendill?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.