2000
#7,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Penland
Habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Penland, likely derived from the Welsh words "pen" (head) and "llan" (church).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,419 Americans carry the last name Penland. That puts it at #8,234 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,564 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penland 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
4.4K
1 in 77,564
Census rank
#8,234
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,854 bearers of the surname Penland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8234th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penland
Among Census respondents with the surname Penland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Penland 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 Penland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 3,340
- Two or more races4.4% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 141
- Black or African American3.3% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penland
Penland 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
#7,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,142
+28 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 519 places
2020
#8,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,854
-288 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 253 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,462 | 4,114 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,981 | 4,142 | 1.40 | +28 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 519 places |
| 2020 | #8,234 | 3,854 | 1.29 | -288 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 253 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 Penland 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 | #7,981 | #8,234 | -3.2% |
| Count | 4,142 | 3,854 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.29 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penland bearers went from 4,142 to 3,854 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 253 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,981 to #8,234.
FAQ
Penland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penland?
Name Census estimates that about 4,419 living Americans carry the surname Penland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,564 residents.
How common is Penland?
Penland ranks #8,234 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,854 people with the surname Penland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,419), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Penland.
Has Penland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penland went from 4,142 recorded bearers to 3,854. That is a decrease of 288 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,981 to #8,234.
What does the Census say about the background of Penland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Penland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (3,340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Penland (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 Penland mean?
Habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Penland, likely derived from the Welsh words "pen" (head) and "llan" (church). 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 Penland (1.29 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 Penland?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.