2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Penzel
A German surname derived from the Latin word pinecellus, meaning a small pine tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Penzel. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penzel 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Penzel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penzel
The surname Penzel is of German origin, originating in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German words "penz" or "penzing," which referred to a small coin or a penny. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a moneylender, moneymaker, or coin dealer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Penzel can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Penzil," "Pentzil," and "Pentzell," indicating its evolution over time.
In the 16th century, the surname Penzel was documented in the Nuremberg Hausbuch, a register of households in the city of Nuremberg, which contained detailed records of citizens and their occupations. This suggests that individuals bearing the name Penzel may have been involved in financial or monetary professions during that time.
One notable figure with the surname Penzel was Johann Georg Penzel, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1624. He was renowned for his religious and allegorical works, and his engravings were highly sought after throughout Europe.
Another individual of historical significance was Karl Penzel, a German botanist and explorer who lived from 1737 to 1801. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life in South America and was responsible for the discovery and classification of several plant species.
In the 19th century, Christian Friedrich Penzel, a German theologian and philosopher, gained recognition for his writings on religious and philosophical topics. He was born in 1819 and died in 1892.
The surname Penzel can also be traced to various place names and locations in Germany, such as Penzelberg and Penzendorf, which may have influenced the formation and spread of the name throughout different regions.
It is important to note that while the surname Penzel has its roots in Germany, it has since been adopted and carried by individuals in other parts of the world, potentially with variations in spelling and pronunciation due to cultural and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penzel
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Penzel 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 Penzel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penzel
Penzel 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-12 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,974 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 17,974 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,361 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 Penzel 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 | #138,304 | #148,665 | -7.5% |
| Count | 121 | 111 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penzel bearers went from 121 to 111 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #148,665.
FAQ
Penzel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penzel?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Penzel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Penzel?
Penzel ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Penzel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Penzel.
Has Penzel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penzel went from 121 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Penzel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Penzel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penzel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Penzel (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 Penzel mean?
A German surname derived from the Latin word pinecellus, meaning a small pine tree. 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 Penzel (0.04 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 Penzel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.