2000
#1,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.90
Uncommon Last name
Penn
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a hill, mountain, or enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,649 Americans carry the last name Penn. That puts it at #1,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,832 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penn 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Penn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,832
Census rank
#1,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,879 bearers of the surname Penn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penn, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (38.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penn
Among Census respondents with the surname Penn, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (38.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Penn 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 Penn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.7% · 9,199
- Black or African American38.2% · 7,212
- Two or more races6.0% · 1,126
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 794
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 326
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 222
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penn
Penn 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
#1,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,409
+808 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.58
Rank movement Down 84 places
2020
#1,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,879
-530 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 6.32
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,765 | 18,601 | 6.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,849 | 19,409 | 6.58 | +808 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 84 places |
| 2020 | #1,866 | 18,879 | 6.32 | -530 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 17 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 Penn 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 | #1,849 | #1,866 | -0.9% |
| Count | 19,409 | 18,879 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.58 | 6.32 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penn bearers went from 19,409 to 18,879 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,849 to #1,866.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Penn
FAQ
Penn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penn?
Name Census estimates that about 21,649 living Americans carry the surname Penn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,832 residents.
How common is Penn?
Penn ranks #1,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,879 people with the surname Penn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,649), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Penn.
Has Penn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penn went from 19,409 recorded bearers to 18,879. That is a decrease of 530 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,849 to #1,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Penn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penn, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.7%. The next largest groups are Black (38.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Penn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.7% (9,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.7%), Black (38.2%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Penn (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 Penn mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a hill, mountain, or enclosure. 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 Penn (6.32 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 have the last name Penn?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Penn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.