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

Penland, 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 Penland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Penland in America

Penland is the 7981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Penland surname appeared 4,142 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Penland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Penland 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 Penland

The surname Penland originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "penne" meaning "pen" or "fold" and "land" meaning "land" or "territory." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on land associated with a pen or enclosure for livestock.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I. The name is recorded as "de Penland," with the "de" prefix indicating a place of origin. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone from a specific place called Penland.

By the 14th century, the name had evolved to its more modern spelling of "Penland." In 1327, a record mentions a Robert de Penland, who was a landowner in the county of Gloucestershire. This provides evidence of the name's continued use and association with landholding during that time period.

In the 16th century, the Penland surname appears in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls. One notable individual from this era was John Penland, who was born in Oxfordshire in 1558 and served as a member of the English Parliament in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Penland name continued to be well-represented in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. Records from this time period include references to individuals such as William Penland (1625-1695), a prominent landowner and merchant in Gloucestershire, and Samuel Penland (1712-1778), a respected clergyman in Somerset.

In the 19th century, the Penland surname gained further recognition with individuals like Henry Penland (1826-1903), a successful industrialist and philanthropist from Gloucestershire, and Emily Penland (1855-1932), a renowned author and educator from Oxfordshire.

Over the centuries, the Penland name has been associated with various occupations and achievements, from landowners and merchants to clergymen, authors, and industrialists. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings related to livestock enclosures, it has since become a distinguished surname with a rich history spanning multiple regions of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Penland

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

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

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

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