Explore the Family Name Penning
The meaning of Penning
1. English, Dutch, and North German: from early Middle English penning, Low German penning, Middle Dutch penninc ‘penny’ (see Penny), a topographic name (from a field name) or a nickname referring to tax dues of a penny. 2. South German: from the short form, Panno, of an ancient Germanic personal name derived from a word meaning ‘ban, order, command’. 3. English: from a Middle English personal name Pening, Pining, presumably representing an unrecorded Old English name, a pet form perhaps of Penda or of names like Pendhere and Pendwulf.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Penning in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Penning has seen a slight decrease in its popularity ranking from 2000 to 2010, slipping from 15,676 to 16,250, marking a drop of roughly 3.66%. Despite this change in rank, the actual count of people with the surname Penning has actually increased by 3.8%, moving from 1,711 in 2000 to 1,776 in 2010. However, when we consider the proportion per 100,000 people, there is a decrease of approximately 4.76% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,676 | #16,250 | -3.66% |
| Count | 1,711 | 1,776 | 3.8% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.63 | 0.6 | -4.76% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Penning
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows a variety of changes between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander decreased by 29.69%, while those identifying as Black also saw a decrease of 11.43%. There was a tiny increase among those identifying with two or more races (8.96%). The proportion identifying as White dropped slightly by 1.25%. The most notable shift can be observed in the Hispanic category, which saw an increase of 73.29%. Data for American Indian and Alaskan Native was not available in 2000 but showed a representation of 0.28% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.85% | 94.65% | -1.25% |
| Hispanic | 1.46% | 2.53% | 73.29% |
| Two or More Races | 1.34% | 1.46% | 8.96% |
| Black | 0.7% | 0.62% | -11.43% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.64% | 0.45% | -29.69% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.28% | 0% |