2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Penski
A surname derived from the Polish word "pień" meaning log or tree trunk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Penski. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penski 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Penski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penski
The surname PENSKI originates from Poland, with roots dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Polish word "pienski," which means "from the forest" or "forester." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived or worked in forested areas or held occupations related to forestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PENSKI surname can be found in the parish records of the village of Krosno, located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of Poland. In a document dated 1523, a certain Jan Penski is mentioned as a landowner in the region.
During the 17th century, the PENSKI surname appeared in various historical documents across different regions of Poland. For instance, in 1642, a merchant named Maciej Penski is recorded as having traded goods in the city of Gdansk, a major port city on the Baltic Sea.
The PENSKI name has also been associated with notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Zygmunt Penski (1798-1876), a Polish nobleman and landowner who played a significant role in the Polish November Uprising of 1830-1831 against the Russian Empire.
Another noteworthy figure was Karolina Penski (1842-1912), a Polish educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools for girls in Warsaw and was a prominent figure in the early feminist movement in Poland.
In the realm of literature, the name PENSKI is associated with the Polish writer and poet, Wladyslaw Penski (1867-1935). He was known for his romantic poetry and novels that explored themes of love, nature, and the Polish countryside.
Across the Atlantic, the PENSKI surname can be traced back to the late 19th century in the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Jan Penski (1852-1924), a Polish immigrant who settled in Chicago and worked as a carpenter.
It is important to note that while the PENSKI surname has its origins in Poland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical roots and significance of the name remain firmly rooted in the Polish cultural and linguistic heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penski
Among Census respondents with the surname Penski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Penski 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 Penski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 95
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penski
Penski 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,385 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-17 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,385 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 10,339 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 Penski 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 | #146,201 | #156,540 | -7.1% |
| Count | 113 | 96 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penski bearers went from 113 to 96 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 10,339 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #156,540.
FAQ
Penski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penski?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Penski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Penski?
Penski ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 96 people with the surname Penski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Penski.
Has Penski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penski went from 113 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 17 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Penski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penski, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Penski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Penski (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 Penski mean?
A surname derived from the Polish word "pień" meaning log or tree trunk. 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 Penski (0.03 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 Penski?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.