2000
#779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,339
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.95
Uncommon Last name
Pennington
A locational surname derived from places in Cumbria and Lancashire, England, meaning "estate of Penna's people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,106 Americans carry the last name Pennington. That puts it at #862 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,599 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pennington 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pennington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,599
Census rank
#862
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,335 bearers of the surname Pennington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 862nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pennington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pennington
The surname Pennington is of English origin, derived from the place name Pennington, which is found in various locations across England. The name is believed to have originated during the Anglo-Saxon period, possibly in the 7th or 8th century.
The name Pennington is thought to be derived from the Old English words "Penning" and "tun," which together mean "the farmstead or village of Penning." The word "Penning" was likely an Old English personal name, but its exact meaning is uncertain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pennington can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book includes references to various locations with the name Pennington.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named William de Pennington is mentioned in records related to Lancashire, England. He was likely a landowner or nobleman associated with the village of Pennington.
During the 13th century, a member of the Pennington family, Sir John de Pennington (c. 1230-1302), served as the Sheriff of Cumberland and held significant landholdings in the region.
Another prominent individual with the surname Pennington was Sir Isaac Pennington (1584-1661), an English politician and Lord Mayor of London. He played a crucial role in the English Civil War and was a supporter of the Parliamentary cause.
In the 18th century, Thomas Pennington (1726-1783) was a notable English botanist and naturalist. He made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification.
The surname Pennington has also been associated with other notable individuals throughout history, such as William Pennington (1875-1949), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, and Melissa Pennington (born 1982), an American actress and model.
While the surname Pennington has its roots in England, it has since become widespread and can be found in various parts of the world due to migration and various historical events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pennington
Among Census respondents with the surname Pennington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pennington 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 Pennington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 33,351
- Black or African American7.0% · 2,765
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,612
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,235
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 199
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 173
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pennington
Pennington 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
#846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,854
+515 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 13.85
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,335
-1,519 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 13.16
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #779 | 40,339 | 14.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #846 | 40,854 | 13.85 | +515 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #862 | 39,335 | 13.16 | -1,519 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 16 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 Pennington 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 | #846 | #862 | -1.9% |
| Count | 40,854 | 39,335 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 13.85 | 13.16 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pennington bearers went from 40,854 to 39,335 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #846 to #862.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pennington
FAQ
Pennington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pennington?
Name Census estimates that about 45,106 living Americans carry the surname Pennington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,599 residents.
How common is Pennington?
Pennington ranks #862 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,335 people with the surname Pennington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,106), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Pennington.
Has Pennington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pennington went from 40,854 recorded bearers to 39,335. That is a decrease of 1,519 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #846 to #862.
What does the Census say about the background of Pennington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pennington, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Pennington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (33,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pennington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Black (7.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Pennington (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 Pennington mean?
A locational surname derived from places in Cumbria and Lancashire, England, meaning "estate of Penna's people." 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 Pennington (13.16 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 Pennington?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.