2000
#4,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,584
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Penrod
Derived from a place name meaning "pen or enclosure on a hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,600 Americans carry the last name Penrod. That puts it at #5,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penrod 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
7.6K
1 in 45,099
Census rank
#5,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,628 bearers of the surname Penrod in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penrod, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penrod
The surname Penrod is believed to have originated in England, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a combination of two Old English words, "pen" meaning a pen or enclosure, and "rod" meaning a clearing or land. This suggests that the name could have initially referred to someone who lived near a fenced or enclosed clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Penrod can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Penrode." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a Roger de Penrode in Staffordshire, England, indicating the name's association with that region. During the same time period, a John Penrod is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire, further solidifying the name's English origins.
The name Penrod has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Penrith in Cumbria and Penshurst in Kent. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
One notable figure bearing the Penrod name was Sir Thomas Penrod (1510-1580), a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the development of trade relations between England and the Iberian Peninsula.
Another individual of historical importance was John Penrod (1670-1745), a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious subjects and was known for his sermons.
In the 19th century, Charles Penrod (1820-1895) was a prominent American businessman and industrialist. He founded the Penrod Manufacturing Company, which produced agricultural equipment and machinery.
The name Penrod also gained literary recognition through the works of Booth Tarkington, an American novelist and playwright. His popular series of novels, including "Penrod" (1914) and "Penrod and Sam" (1916), featured a young protagonist named Penrod Schofield, cementing the name's place in literature.
Additionally, Reuben Penrod (1865-1933) was a notable American politician who served as a Congressman from Pennsylvania in the early 20th century, further contributing to the recognition of the Penrod name in public life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penrod
Among Census respondents with the surname Penrod, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Penrod 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 Penrod surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 6,054
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 246
- Two or more races3.6% · 236
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 38
- Black or African American0.4% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penrod
Penrod 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
#5,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,867
+283 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#5,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,628
-239 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.22
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,901 | 6,584 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,095 | 6,867 | 2.33 | +283 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #5,115 | 6,628 | 2.22 | -239 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 20 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 Penrod 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 | #5,095 | #5,115 | -0.4% |
| Count | 6,867 | 6,628 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 2.22 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penrod bearers went from 6,867 to 6,628 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,095 to #5,115.
FAQ
Penrod surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penrod?
Name Census estimates that about 7,600 living Americans carry the surname Penrod. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,099 residents.
How common is Penrod?
Penrod ranks #5,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.22 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 6,628 people with the surname Penrod. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,600), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.22 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 Penrod.
Has Penrod become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penrod went from 6,867 recorded bearers to 6,628. That is a decrease of 239 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,095 to #5,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Penrod?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penrod, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Penrod in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (6,054 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penrod appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Penrod (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 Penrod mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "pen or enclosure on a hill" in Old English. 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 Penrod (2.22 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 surname Penrod?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.