Explore the Family Name Pen
The meaning of Pen
1. English: variant of Penn. 2. Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a clerk or penman, from pen ‘pen’, or for a craftsman using pins, from pen ‘pin’ (compare Pin). 3. Breton (mainly Le Pen): topographic name or nickname from penn ‘head’. Alternatively, perhaps a cognate of French Payen (compare Pean). Compare also Pene 2 and Penn 8. 4. Slovenian: nickname or ethnic name of the same origin as German Böhm (see Boehm), meaning ‘Bohemian’ (i.e. ‘Czech’). Alternatively, from an old short form of the personal name Pernhart, an old South German variant of Bernhard (see Bernard). 5. Cambodian: written ែប៉ន, of Chinese origin (see Bin 1). Some characteristic forenames: Cambodian Chhem, Chhum, Roeuth, Phal, Saroeun, Sokha, Boeun, Chan, Chhay, Chheng, Choung, Han, Heng, Hoeung, Kong, Lei, Leang, Leng, Nip, Nong, Noy, Phoeun, Samnang, Samoeun, Savath, Somaly, Sophath, Sopheap, Sheng, Soeun, Sophal, Tha, Yen. Russian Iosif, Lev, Oleg.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pen in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Pen has seen a notable increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Pen was ranked as the 22,283rd most popular surname, but by 2010, it had jumped to the 18,971st spot, marking a 14.86 percent growth in its rank. Similarly, the number of people with the surname Pen grew from 1,079 in 2000 to 1,438 in 2010, a substantial increase of 33.27 percent. This rise in count also led to an increased proportion of individuals with the surname Pen per 100,000 people — 0.4 in 2000 to 0.49 in 2010, showing a 22.5 percent growth.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #22,283 | #18,971 | 14.86% |
| Count | 1,079 | 1,438 | 33.27% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.4 | 0.49 | 22.5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pen
When examining the ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the Pen surname is predominantly found within the Asian/Pacific Islander community. Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of individuals with this surname who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander rose from 76.46 to 80.46, marking a 5.23 percent increase. The second largest group, in terms of ethnic identity, are those identifying as White, though their percentage slightly decreased from 12.88 to 12.45 over the decade. It's vital to note that there were significant changes in other ethnic groups as well. For instance, the percentage of people with the surname Pen identifying as two or more races dropped significantly by 60.42 percent. Furthermore, the percentage of Hispanic people carrying this surname decreased slightly by 7.72 percent. Interestingly, by 2010, 2.02 percent of people with this surname identified as Black, which wasn't the case in 2000. Meanwhile, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained unchanged.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 76.46% | 80.46% | 5.23% |
| White | 12.88% | 12.45% | -3.34% |
| Hispanic | 3.24% | 2.99% | -7.72% |
| Two or More Races | 5.28% | 2.09% | -60.42% |
| Black | 0% | 2.02% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |