2000
#9,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,244
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Penick
Derived from the Welsh personal name Enoch, meaning "dedicated."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,366 Americans carry the last name Penick. That puts it at #10,444 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,828 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penick 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
3.4K
1 in 101,828
Census rank
#10,444
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,935 bearers of the surname Penick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10444th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penick, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penick
The surname Penick is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "penican," which means "a small enclosure or pen for animals." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near or worked at such an enclosure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Penick can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a set of records documenting tax payments made to the Crown in the late 12th century. In these rolls, the name appears as "Penyk," which is likely an early spelling variation.
The Penick surname is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, a collection of documents from the late 13th century that recorded taxes levied on the population. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Penick appeared in various parish records and legal documents across Yorkshire and neighboring counties. For example, a William Penick was recorded as being born in the village of Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, in 1587.
One notable individual with the surname Penick was Robert Penick, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the city of York during the late 17th century. He was known for his involvement in local politics and civic affairs.
In the 18th century, the Penick surname spread beyond Yorkshire as families migrated to other parts of England and, eventually, to other parts of the world. For instance, John Penick (1702-1781), a farmer from Lincolnshire, is recorded as having immigrated to the American colonies in the 1730s, settling in Pennsylvania.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Penick (1790-1865), a pioneer and settler in the American Midwest. She and her family were among the early settlers in the state of Indiana, establishing a farm in the region known as the "Penick Settlement."
In the 19th century, the Penick family continued to spread across the United States and other parts of the world, with individuals bearing the surname appearing in various historical records and accounts. For example, James Penick (1825-1899) was a prominent businessman and landowner in Texas, known for his involvement in the cattle industry.
Overall, the surname Penick has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins in medieval England, where it was likely associated with individuals who lived or worked near small animal enclosures. Throughout the centuries, the name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from merchants and landowners to pioneers and settlers, leaving a lasting impact on the communities they called home.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penick
Among Census respondents with the surname Penick, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Penick 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 Penick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.4% · 2,185
- Black or African American17.1% · 503
- Two or more races4.4% · 130
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 86
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penick
Penick 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
#9,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,259
+15 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 670 places
2020
#10,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,935
-324 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 532 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,242 | 3,244 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,912 | 3,259 | 1.10 | +15 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 670 places |
| 2020 | #10,444 | 2,935 | 0.98 | -324 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 532 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 Penick 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 | #9,912 | #10,444 | -5.4% |
| Count | 3,259 | 2,935 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.98 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penick bearers went from 3,259 to 2,935 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 532 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,912 to #10,444.
FAQ
Penick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penick?
Name Census estimates that about 3,366 living Americans carry the surname Penick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,828 residents.
How common is Penick?
Penick ranks #10,444 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,935 people with the surname Penick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Penick.
Has Penick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penick went from 3,259 recorded bearers to 2,935. That is a decrease of 324 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,912 to #10,444.
What does the Census say about the background of Penick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penick, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Penick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (2,185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.4%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Penick (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 Penick mean?
Derived from the Welsh personal name Enoch, meaning "dedicated." 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 Penick (0.98 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 share the surname Penick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.