2000
#5,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,072
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.25
Rare Last name
Pennell
Derived from a French place name, likely referring to a person who lived near a hill or summit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,500 Americans carry the last name Pennell. That puts it at #5,869 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pennell 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 Pennell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,731
Census rank
#5,869
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,668 bearers of the surname Pennell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5869th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pennell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pennell
The surname Pennell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "pening" and "hyll," which together mean "penny hill" or "hill where rent was paid." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a specific hill or location where rent or taxes were collected.
The earliest known record of the surname Pennell dates back to the 13th century in the county of Gloucestershire, England. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a document recording landowners and their possessions, there is a mention of a Robert de Penhulle.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, which lists a William Penell as a taxpayer. This indicates that the name was present in different regions of England during the medieval period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Pennell was John Pennell, who was born in 1610 in Munsley, Hertfordshire, England. He later immigrated to the American colonies and settled in Pennsylvania, where he became a prominent Quaker leader and landowner.
In the 17th century, Edward Pennell (1634-1707) was a notable English politician and Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire. He was also a justice of the peace and served as the High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire.
Another prominent figure was Joseph Pennell (1857-1926), an American artist and author who was renowned for his etchings and lithographs. He was born in Philadelphia and gained international recognition for his works depicting various cities and landscapes.
In the 19th century, Henry Pennell (1826-1917) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Garrick Theatre and the Royal Automobile Club.
Robert Pennell (1849-1920) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and was considered one of the best wicket-keepers of his time.
These examples demonstrate the presence of the surname Pennell across various professions and regions throughout history, reflecting its enduring legacy as an English surname with origins dating back to the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pennell
Among Census respondents with the surname Pennell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pennell 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 Pennell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 5,134
- Two or more races3.6% · 202
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 188
- Black or African American1.7% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pennell
Pennell 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
#5,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,170
+98 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 360 places
2020
#5,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,668
-502 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,273 | 6,072 | 2.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,633 | 6,170 | 2.09 | +98 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 360 places |
| 2020 | #5,869 | 5,668 | 1.90 | -502 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 236 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 Pennell 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 | #5,633 | #5,869 | -4.2% |
| Count | 6,170 | 5,668 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.09 | 1.90 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pennell bearers went from 6,170 to 5,668 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 236 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,633 to #5,869.
FAQ
Pennell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pennell?
Name Census estimates that about 6,500 living Americans carry the surname Pennell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,731 residents.
How common is Pennell?
Pennell ranks #5,869 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,668 people with the surname Pennell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,500), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pennell.
Has Pennell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pennell went from 6,170 recorded bearers to 5,668. That is a decrease of 502 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,633 to #5,869.
What does the Census say about the background of Pennell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pennell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Pennell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (5,134 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pennell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Pennell (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 Pennell mean?
Derived from a French place name, likely referring to a person who lived near a hill or summit. 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 Pennell (1.90 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 Americans have the surname Pennell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.