2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pynenberg
A locational surname derived from the town of Pynenberg in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Pynenberg. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pynenberg 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Pynenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pynenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pynenberg
The surname Pynenberg is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words "pijn" and "berg," which together translate to "pine mountain" or "pine hill." This suggests that the name may have originated from a specific location or geographic feature, possibly a pine-covered hill or mountain range.
One of the earliest known references to the Pynenberg name can be found in the records of the city of Utrecht, dating back to the 14th century. A document from 1367 mentions a merchant named Hendrick van Pynenberg, who was involved in the trade of textiles and spices.
In the 15th century, the Pynenberg name appears in several historical records from the region of Friesland, in the northern Netherlands. Notable individuals from this time include Jan Pynenberg (1412-1487), a prominent farmer and landowner, and Sytske Pynenberg (1436-1502), who is recorded as one of the first female shipowners in the region.
During the 16th century, the Pynenberg name spread to other parts of the Netherlands and neighboring regions. Pieter Pynenberg (1521-1594) was a renowned theologian and scholar who taught at the University of Leiden, while Dirck Pynenberg (1547-1612) was a skilled cartographer and mapmaker who produced detailed maps of the Dutch provinces.
In the 17th century, the Pynenberg family had established a presence in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia). Cornelis Pynenberg (1627-1698) was a successful merchant and trader based in Batavia (now Jakarta), and his son, Pieter Pynenberg (1659-1721), served as the Governor of the Banda Islands, which were a significant source of nutmeg and other spices.
Another notable figure from this period is Johanna Pynenberg (1674-1738), who was a renowned painter and artist in Amsterdam. Her works, which included portraits, landscapes, and still-life compositions, were highly sought after by the Dutch elite and can still be found in several museums and private collections.
As the name Pynenberg spread across Europe and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Pijnenberg, Pijnenburg, and Pynenburg. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the Dutch language and the geographic features associated with it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pynenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Pynenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Pynenberg 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 Pynenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 120
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pynenberg
Pynenberg appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 1,892 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 Pynenberg 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 | #140,157 | #142,049 | -1.3% |
| Count | 119 | 120 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pynenberg bearers went from 119 to 120 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 1,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,049.
FAQ
Pynenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pynenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Pynenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Pynenberg?
Pynenberg ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Pynenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Pynenberg.
Has Pynenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pynenberg went from 119 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Pynenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pynenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Pynenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pynenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Pynenberg (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 Pynenberg mean?
A locational surname derived from the town of Pynenberg in Germany. 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 Pynenberg (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 share the surname Pynenberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.