2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Penzenstadler
A locational surname from a place name in Bavaria or Austria deriving from elements meaning "meadow by the pond".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Penzenstadler. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penzenstadler 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Penzenstadler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzenstadler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penzenstadler
The surname PENZENSTADLER originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval or early modern period. It is a locative surname, derived from a place name and indicating that the original bearer of the name hailed from a specific town or region.
The name PENZENSTADLER is believed to be a variant spelling or a contracted form of the German place name "Penzenstädtler," which translates to "one from Penzenstädt." Penzenstädt is a small town located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The name itself is a combination of the Germanic elements "Penzen," which may have been a personal name or a reference to a specific location, and "Stadt," meaning "town" or "city."
Historical records show that the surname PENZENSTADLER appeared in various documents and manuscripts from the 16th century onwards. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in a church register from the town of Meiningen, in the present-day state of Thuringia, Germany, where a certain Hans PENZENSTADLER was mentioned in 1557.
Notable individuals with the surname PENZENSTADLER include Johann Christoph PENZENSTADLER (1692-1768), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. Another notable bearer of the name was Wilhelm PENZENSTADLER (1817-1879), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) in the 19th century.
Other individuals with the PENZENSTADLER surname include Friedrich PENZENSTADLER (1801-1872), a German theologian and author; Karl PENZENSTADLER (1876-1942), a German architect known for his work in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) style; and Erich PENZENSTADLER (1914-2001), a German businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charitable organizations.
While the surname PENZENSTADLER is not among the most common surnames in German-speaking regions, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and can be traced to a specific geographic location in central Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penzenstadler
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzenstadler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Penzenstadler 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 Penzenstadler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penzenstadler
Penzenstadler 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,548 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,900 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,548 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,900 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 Penzenstadler 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 | #149,395 | #146,495 | 1.9% |
| Count | 110 | 114 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penzenstadler bearers went from 110 to 114 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,900 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #146,495.
FAQ
Penzenstadler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penzenstadler?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Penzenstadler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Penzenstadler?
Penzenstadler ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Penzenstadler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Penzenstadler.
Has Penzenstadler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penzenstadler went from 110 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Penzenstadler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzenstadler, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.5%). 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 Penzenstadler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penzenstadler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.5%). 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 Penzenstadler (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 Penzenstadler mean?
A locational surname from a place name in Bavaria or Austria deriving from elements meaning "meadow by the pond". 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 Penzenstadler (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 people have the last name Penzenstadler?
You can see how many people have the last name Penzenstadler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.