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

Penn, 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 Penn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Penn in America

Penn is the 1849th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Penn surname appeared 19,409 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Penn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Penn 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 Penn

The surname Penn originated in England, deriving from the Old English word 'penn' meaning an enclosure or pen for animals. It was likely an occupational surname for someone who worked as a keeper of animals or managed such enclosures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Penn surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a historical record from 1086. The name appeared as 'Penne' in Somerset, referring to a landed person or landowner.

In the 13th century, records show instances of the surname Penn appearing in various parts of England, including Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire. These early spellings included 'Penne', 'Penne', and 'Penne'.

The Penn surname is also closely associated with the town of Penn in Buckinghamshire, which likely derived its name from the same Old English word. Some early bearers of the surname may have hailed from or been associated with this location.

One notable individual with the Penn surname was William Penn (1644-1718), the English Quaker leader and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania in North America. He was an influential figure in the early colonial history of the United States.

Another historically significant bearer of the Penn surname was Sir William Penn (1621-1670), an English admiral and the father of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. He played a significant role in the naval wars between England and the Netherlands during the 17th century.

John Penn (1700-1746) was another member of the Penn family, serving as the proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1726 to 1746. He played a crucial role in the governance and development of the colony.

Thomas Penn (1702-1775) was the son of William Penn and also served as the proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1746 to 1775. He oversaw the colony's growth and development during a significant period of its history.

John Thomas Penn (1760-1834) was the last proprietor of Pennsylvania, inheriting the position from his father, Thomas Penn. He played a role in the transition of Pennsylvania from a colony to a state after the American Revolutionary War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Penn

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

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

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

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