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

Penso, 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 Penso surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Penso in America

Penso is the 66371st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Penso surname appeared 298 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Penso.

We can also compare 2010 data for Penso 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 Penso

The surname Penso is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Italy during the medieval period. One theory suggests that it is derived from the Latin word "pensus," which means "to weigh or consider." This could indicate that the name was initially associated with individuals involved in trade or commerce, where weighing goods was a common practice.

Another possibility is that the name Penso has its roots in the Italian word "penso," meaning "thought" or "reflection." This connection could imply that the name was originally attributed to scholars, philosophers, or thinkers who were known for their intellectual pursuits.

Historical records from the 13th century mention individuals with the surname Penso residing in the regions of Veneto and Lombardy. One notable example is Giacomo Penso, a merchant from Venice who is documented as having traded with the Byzantine Empire in the year 1278.

The name Penso also appears in several ancient manuscripts and chronicles, such as the "Codex Diplomaticus Venetus" from the 14th century, which contains references to various Penso families in the Venetian Republic.

In the 15th century, the Penso name gained prominence with the birth of Martino Penso (1440-1518), a renowned Italian humanist and scholar who authored several works on philosophy and literature. He was highly regarded in his time and is considered one of the earliest proponents of Renaissance humanism.

Another notable figure was Giovanni Battista Penso (1567-1635), a Venetian architect who designed several churches and palaces in the city, including the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Derelitti and the Palazzo Contarini Polignac.

During the 17th century, Alessandro Penso (1620-1692) was a prominent Venetian painter known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.

In the 18th century, Giuseppe Penso (1745-1819) was a celebrated Italian composer and violinist who served as the music director at the court of the Duke of Modena.

The Penso surname has also been associated with several noble families throughout Italian history, including the Penso di Padova, who were influential landowners in the Veneto region during the Renaissance period.

While the origins of the Penso surname can be traced back to medieval Italy, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world, carried by Italian immigrants and their descendants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Penso

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!