2000
#6,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.87
Rare Last name
Penner
An occupational surname referring to a scribe or quill pen maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,276 Americans carry the last name Penner. That puts it at #6,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,614 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penner 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
6.3K
1 in 54,614
Census rank
#6,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,473 bearers of the surname Penner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penner
Among Census respondents with the surname Penner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Penner 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 Penner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 4,923
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 238
- Two or more races3.3% · 179
- Black or African American1.1% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penner
Penner 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
#6,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,349
+313 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#6,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,473
+124 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Up 329 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,247 | 5,036 | 1.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,363 | 5,349 | 1.81 | +313 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #6,034 | 5,473 | 1.83 | +124 bearers (+2.3%) | Up 329 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 Penner 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 | #6,363 | #6,034 | 5.2% |
| Count | 5,349 | 5,473 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.83 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penner bearers went from 5,349 to 5,473 (+2.3% change). The surname moved up 329 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,363 to #6,034.
FAQ
Penner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penner?
Name Census estimates that about 6,276 living Americans carry the surname Penner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,614 residents.
How common is Penner?
Penner ranks #6,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 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 5,473 people with the surname Penner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 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 Penner.
Has Penner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penner went from 5,349 recorded bearers to 5,473. That is an increase of 124 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,363 to #6,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Penner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Penner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (4,923 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (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 Penner (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 Penner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a scribe or quill pen maker. 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 Penner (1.83 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 Penner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.