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

Penfold, 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 Penfold surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Penfold in America

Penfold is the 27110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Penfold surname appeared 893 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 Penfold.

We can also compare 2010 data for Penfold 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 Penfold

The surname Penfold originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "penn" meaning an enclosure or pen, and "falod" meaning a fold or enclosure for animals. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked at a pen or fold for livestock.

Penfold is an ancient surname found in various historical records. One early reference appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, where a landholder named Godric Penuuold is listed in Yorkshire. This spelling variation highlights how the name evolved over time.

Other early recorded examples include Walter Penfold in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1206, and John Penfold listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. These records demonstrate the name's presence in different regions of England during the Middle Ages.

Throughout history, the Penfold name has been associated with various places, likely derived from the surname itself. For instance, there is a Penfold Farm in Kent, and a Penfold Lane in Holmer Green, Buckinghamshire, both reflecting the name's geographical spread.

Notable individuals with the surname Penfold include Sir John Penfold (1828-1909), a British civil engineer and surveyor who worked on major projects in Australia and New Zealand. Another prominent figure was William Penfold (1824-1880), an English-born Australian politician and businessman who helped establish the wine industry in South Australia.

Other individuals of note are Christina Penfold (1865-1950), a British writer and educator who authored several books on history and literature, and Robert Penfold (1811-1853), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club in the 1830s and 1840s.

Additionally, Penfold was the name of a famous cartoon character, a minor character in the British animated series Danger Mouse, which further popularized the surname in popular culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Penfold

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

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

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

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