2000
#82,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Penzo
An Italian surname derived from the region of Pienza in Tuscany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 329 Americans carry the last name Penzo. That puts it at #72,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,041,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Penzo 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
329
1 in 1,041,806
Census rank
#72,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
287
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 287 bearers of the surname Penzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 72902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (46.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Penzo
The surname Penzo is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the northern regions of the country, particularly in the Veneto area. The name is believed to have derived from the Latin word "pincio," which referred to a pine tree or a pine grove.
During the medieval period, the Penzo name was prevalent in various Italian towns and villages, with mentions found in historical records and documents. One notable reference is in the Codice Diplomatico Padovano, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the city of Padua, where the name Penzo appeared multiple times in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The earliest recorded instance of the Penzo surname dates back to the late 12th century, with a man named Enrico Penzo mentioned in a document from the town of Verona in 1187. Another early record comes from the city of Venice, where a certain Giacomo Penzo was documented in 1245.
Throughout the centuries, the Penzo name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Giovanni Penzo, a renowned painter from the 15th century who was active in the city of Padua. His works can still be found in various churches and museums in the region.
In the 16th century, Girolamo Penzo (1530-1592) was a respected scholar and humanist from Venice. He authored several works on literature and philosophy, and was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time.
Moving into the 19th century, Giuseppe Penzo (1806-1877) was an Italian politician and lawyer from the city of Verona. He served as a member of the parliament and was involved in the Italian unification movement.
Another notable figure was Enrico Penzo (1858-1939), an Italian architect who designed several iconic buildings in the city of Venice, including the Palazzo del Casinò and the Palazzo del Turismo.
The Penzo name has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Italy. For instance, the Penzo Valley in the province of Treviso is named after the surname, as well as several small villages and hamlets such as Penzo di Cadore and Penzo Vecchio.
While the Penzo surname is widely dispersed across Italy and other parts of the world today, its roots can be traced back to the northern regions of the country, where it has a rich and storied history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Penzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (46.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Penzo 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 Penzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.5% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino46.0% · 132
- Two or more races1.7% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Penzo
Penzo 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
#73,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 263
+49 bearers (+22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 8,353 places
2020
#72,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 287
+24 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 764 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #82,019 | 214 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,666 | 263 | 0.09 | +49 bearers (+22.9%) | Up 8,353 places |
| 2020 | #72,902 | 287 | 0.10 | +24 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 764 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 Penzo 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 | #73,666 | #72,902 | 1.0% |
| Count | 263 | 287 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Penzo bearers went from 263 to 287 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 764 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,666 to #72,902.
FAQ
Penzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Penzo?
Name Census estimates that about 329 living Americans carry the surname Penzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,041,806 residents.
How common is Penzo?
Penzo ranks #72,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 287 people with the surname Penzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (329), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Penzo.
Has Penzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Penzo went from 263 recorded bearers to 287. That is an increase of 24 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #73,666 to #72,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Penzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Penzo, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (46.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Penzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.5% (145 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Penzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.5%), Hispanic (46.0%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Penzo (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 Penzo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the region of Pienza in Tuscany. 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 Penzo (0.10 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 Penzo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.