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

Penner, 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 Penner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Penner in America

Penner is the 6363rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Penner surname appeared 5,349 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Penner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Penner 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 Penner

The surname Penner originated in Germany in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "penner," which means "innkeeper" or "tavern owner." The name likely referred to the occupation of an early bearer who ran a tavern or inn.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the town of Cologne in the 14th century. A man named Heinrich Penner is mentioned in a document from 1372, indicating that the name was already established in that region by that time.

In the 15th century, the name spread to other parts of Germany, as well as to neighboring regions like the Netherlands and Switzerland. Variations in spelling, such as Penner, Pennar, and Pennaer, began to appear in historical records.

One notable early bearer of the name was Hans Penner, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century. He was active in Nuremberg and is known for his detailed engravings of plants and animals.

In the 17th century, the Penner surname became more widespread among German-speaking communities in Eastern Europe. Many Penners were among the Mennonite settlers who emigrated from Prussia to Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

A famous bearer of the name from this period was Claas Epp Penner, a Mennonite leader and minister who was born in 1763 in the Chortitza Colony in present-day Ukraine. He played a significant role in the early Mennonite settlement of the region.

Another notable Penner was Johann Penner, a German-Russian Mennonite leader and writer who lived from 1813 to 1893. He authored several books on Mennonite history and theology and was influential in the Mennonite communities of Russia.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, many Penners emigrated from Russia to North America, settling in places like Canada and the United States. The name became particularly prevalent among Mennonite communities in these countries.

One prominent Canadian bearer of the name was Arnold Penner, a Mennonite businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1921 to 2012. He founded the construction company Penner Foods and was a major donor to charitable causes in Manitoba.

Overall, the surname Penner has a long and rich history, originating in medieval Germany and eventually spreading to various parts of Europe and beyond. Its connection to the occupation of innkeeping and its prevalence among Mennonite communities have been defining features of the name's journey through the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Penner

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

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

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

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