Explore the Family Name Pesnell
The meaning of Pesnell
Probably an altered form of French (Normandy) Pesnel: from a vernacular pet form of the old personal name Payen, or a topographic name for someone who lived by a fence or palissade, from a shortened form of paissenel, pessenel, a diminutive of paisson, pesson ‘post, stake’. This surname was brought to North America from England.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Pesnell in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Pesnell is not particularly common in the United States. In 2000 it was ranked as the 47,654th most popular surname and by 2010 it had slipped slightly in popularity to rank 49,177th. This represents a decrease in popularity of 3.2%. However, the actual number of people with the Pesnell surname increased slightly from 418 in 2000 to 428 in 2010, showing a growth of 2.39%. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 residents remained constant at 0.15.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #47,654 | #49,177 | -3.2% |
| Count | 418 | 428 | 2.39% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Pesnell
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the vast majority of individuals identifying with the surname Pesnell are White, although this percentage has seen a slight decrease from 97.13% in 2000 to 93.22% in 2010. There has been an increase in the number of Black individuals with this surname, going from 2.39% in 2000 to 4.44% in 2010, which represents a change of 85.77%. Notably, there has also been a small emergence of individuals with this surname who identify with two or more races, being reported at 1.4% in 2010 where there were none in 2000. No individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 97.13% | 93.22% | -4.03% |
| Black | 2.39% | 4.44% | 85.77% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 1.4% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |