Explore the Family Name Penwarden

The meaning of Penwarden

Cornish: habitational name from Penwarden in South Hill, eastern Cornwall. The placename derives from Middle Cornish pen ‘head, top, summit, promontory’ + guern ‘alders, alder swamp’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Penwarden in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Penwarden has seen a rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 111,119 in terms of prevalence, but it moved up to 107,134 by 2010, indicating a change of 3.59%. The count of individuals with this surname also increased during this time frame from 147 to 166, marking a growth of 12.93%. As a proportion per 100,000 people, the presence of this surname rose by 20.0%, going from 0.05 to 0.06.

20002010Change
Rank#111,119#107,1343.59%
Count14716612.93%
Proportion per 100k0.050.0620%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Penwarden

In terms of ethnic identity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of those bearing the Penwarden surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010. Specifically, 94.56% did so in 2000, and while this figure dropped slightly to 92.77% in 2010, it remained the dominant ethnicity. There was no record of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native, or of two or more races in either year. However, there was a notable emergence of individuals identifying as Hispanic in 2010, accounting for 4.22% of those with the Penwarden surname. This category was not present in 2000.

20002010Change
White94.56%92.77%-1.89%
Hispanic0%4.22%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%