2000
#3,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.56
Uncommon Last name
Penny
An English occupational surname referring to a moneylender or someone who changed or dealt in pennies or coins.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,808 Americans carry the last name Penny. That puts it at #3,670 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,713 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penny 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 Penny with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,713
Census rank
#3,670
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,425 bearers of the surname Penny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3670th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penny, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penny
The surname Penny is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "penig," meaning a penny or small coin. This name likely originated in the medieval period, possibly during the 12th or 13th century, when surnames began to be adopted in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Penny can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record from 1273, which mentions a William Peny. Another early reference is in the Lancashire Assize Rolls from 1285, where a Thomas Peny is mentioned.
The name Penny may have initially been an occupational name, referring to someone who worked as a moneylender, moneychanger, or coin maker. It could also have been a nickname for a wealthy individual or someone who frequently handled coins.
The Penny surname has been found in various parts of England, including Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, and Somerset. Some early bearers of the name include John Penny, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327, and William Penny, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1379.
One notable historical figure with the surname Penny was Thomas Penny (c. 1530-1589), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and played a significant role in the theological debates of the Elizabethan era.
Another important person was Edward Penny (1714-1791), an English ironmaster and industrialist who established the Penny and Rea Ironworks in Birmingham, contributing to the industrial development of the region.
In the literary world, Edward Penny (1836-1923) was a British writer and journalist who authored several books, including "The Church in Madras" and "The Romance of the Heavens."
John Penny (1807-1868) was a British architect and civil engineer who designed notable buildings such as the Royal Holloway College in Egham, Surrey.
Finally, Thomas Penny (1837-1902) was a British politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull from 1885 to 1900.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penny
Among Census respondents with the surname Penny, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Penny 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 Penny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 6,384
- Black or African American21.9% · 2,061
- Two or more races4.9% · 458
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 385
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 63
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penny
Penny 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
#3,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,249
+634 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 3.47
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#3,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,425
-824 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Down 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,410 | 9,615 | 3.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,485 | 10,249 | 3.47 | +634 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #3,670 | 9,425 | 3.15 | -824 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 185 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 Penny 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 | #3,485 | #3,670 | -5.3% |
| Count | 10,249 | 9,425 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.47 | 3.15 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penny bearers went from 10,249 to 9,425 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,485 to #3,670.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Penny
FAQ
Penny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penny?
Name Census estimates that about 10,808 living Americans carry the surname Penny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,713 residents.
How common is Penny?
Penny ranks #3,670 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,425 people with the surname Penny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Penny.
Has Penny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penny went from 10,249 recorded bearers to 9,425. That is a decrease of 824 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,485 to #3,670.
What does the Census say about the background of Penny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penny, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Penny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (6,384 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Black (21.9%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Penny (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 Penny mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a moneylender or someone who changed or dealt in pennies or coins. 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 Penny (3.15 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 Penny?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.