2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Peneguy
A toponymic surname derived from the French town of Peneguy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Peneguy. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Peneguy 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Peneguy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Peneguy, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Peneguy
The surname Peneguy originates from the Basque region of southwestern France and northern Spain, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Basque words "pene," meaning "rock" or "cliff," and "gui," which can mean "place" or "location." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a rocky or cliffy area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Peneguy name can be found in the Livre d'Or (Book of Gold), a historical record of noble families in the region of Béarn, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears as "Peneguyn," which was likely the original spelling before it evolved into its modern form.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with this surname was Jean de Peneguy, a Basque soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He was born around 1490 in the town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, located in the Basque Country of France.
Another historical reference to the Peneguy name can be found in the 17th-century Spanish manuscript "Crónica de la Provincia de San Gabriel de los Frailes Descalzos de la Regular Observancia de Nuestro Seráfico Padre San Francisco," which mentions a Franciscan friar named Pedro de Peneguy, born in the Basque region around 1600.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with this surname was Jacques Peneguy, a French merchant and trader who established a successful business network in the Caribbean. He was born in 1720 in the town of Bayonne, located in the Basque region of France.
Another notable person with the Peneguy surname was Dominique Peneguy, a French military officer and engineer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1782 in the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, also in the Basque Country of France, and died in 1854.
While the Peneguy name has its roots in the Basque region, it has since spread to other parts of France and beyond, although it remains relatively uncommon outside of its original geographical area. The name's history and etymology provide a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of the Basque people and their influence on the surnames of southwestern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Peneguy
Among Census respondents with the surname Peneguy, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Peneguy 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 Peneguy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Peneguy
Peneguy 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 2,834 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 Peneguy 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 | #153,769 | #150,935 | 1.8% |
| Count | 106 | 108 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Peneguy bearers went from 106 to 108 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 2,834 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #150,935.
FAQ
Peneguy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Peneguy?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Peneguy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Peneguy?
Peneguy ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Peneguy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Peneguy.
Has Peneguy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Peneguy went from 106 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Peneguy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Peneguy, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Peneguy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Peneguy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Peneguy (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 Peneguy mean?
A toponymic surname derived from the French town of Peneguy. 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 Peneguy (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 are called Peneguy?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Peneguy is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.