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

Penedo, 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 Penedo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Penedo in America

Penedo is the 131379th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Penedo surname appeared 129 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Penedo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Penedo 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 Penedo

The surname Penedo is of Portuguese origin, derived from the word "penedo" meaning a large rock or boulder. The name likely originated in the regions of Portugal where such natural features were prominent, such as the mountainous areas or coastal regions with rocky cliffs.

The earliest recorded instances of the Penedo surname can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various Portuguese records and documents. One notable example is the mention of a Pero Penedo, a soldier who fought in the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, a significant event during the Portuguese struggle for independence from Castile.

In the 16th century, the Penedo name appears in records related to the Portuguese exploration and colonization efforts. For instance, João Penedo was a navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his second voyage to India in 1502-1503.

As the Portuguese expanded their influence globally, the Penedo surname spread to various colonies and settlements. In Brazil, a notable individual was Sebastião Penedo, a 17th-century settler and landowner who established a sugar plantation in the state of Pernambuco.

Another historical figure bearing the Penedo name was António Penedo, a 19th-century Portuguese politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1856 to 1859.

Over time, variations of the Penedo surname emerged, such as Penedos, Peneda, and Penhedo, reflecting regional linguistic differences or adaptations. Additionally, some place names in Portugal, like Penedo in the Algarve region, may have contributed to the surname's origins or influenced its spread.

While not as prominent as some other Portuguese surnames, the Penedo name has left its mark on history through individuals involved in exploration, settlement, politics, and various other fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Penedo

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!