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

Penza, 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 Penza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Penza in America

Penza is the 35246th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Penza surname appeared 639 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 Penza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Penza 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 Penza

The surname Penza has its origins in Russia, and it can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the city of Penza, which is located in the central part of European Russia, approximately 625 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Penza can be found in the chronicles of the Penza region, where it is mentioned in connection with the city's founding in 1666. The city was established as a fortress to protect the southern borders of the Russian Empire from nomadic raids.

The name Penza itself is thought to be derived from the Mordvin language, which was spoken by the indigenous population of the area before the arrival of Russian settlers. The word "penza" in the Mordvin language is said to mean "end" or "border," referring to the city's location near the border of the Russian Empire at the time.

In the 18th century, the surname Penza began to spread beyond the confines of the Penza region as people migrated to other parts of Russia. Notable individuals with the surname Penza include Vasily Penza (1692-1766), a Russian military leader who played a significant role in the Russian conquest of the Crimean Peninsula.

Another prominent figure with the surname Penza was Ivan Penza (1802-1879), a Russian entrepreneur and industrialist who established several successful businesses in the city of Penza and contributed to its economic development.

In the 19th century, the surname Penza also gained recognition outside of Russia. One example is Mikhail Penza (1836-1899), a Russian-born painter who spent much of his career working in Italy and is known for his landscapes and portraits of the Italian countryside.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the name Penza appeared in historical records in the United States, likely due to Russian immigration. One notable individual was Fyodor Penza (1865-1928), a Russian-American artist who settled in New York City and became known for his impressionistic paintings of urban scenes.

Another individual with the surname Penza who made a significant impact in the United States was Andrei Penza (1890-1967), a Russian-born engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early aerospace technology, working for companies such as Boeing and Lockheed.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Penza

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

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

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

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