How common is the surname Pena?

130,776 people in the United States had the surname Pena in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,361 Americans. It ranked 227th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Pena?

Santiago Peña, 52th President of Paraguay (2023–2026), followed by Afonso Pena.

Where is the surname Pena most common?

Wikidata records people named Pena in the United States, Bolivia and Brazil and 3 other countries.

Is the surname Pena getting more or less common?

More common. 98,345 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 130,776 in 2010, up 33%.

The surname Pena

A Spanish surname, carried by 130,776 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex P500

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Pena is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

Spanish origin

Borrowed from Spanish Peña.

One of 992 Spanish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 130,776 people named Pena in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,361 Americans. That is up 33% since 2000, when the Census counted 98,345.

#227

rank among US surnames

130,776

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+33%

change since 2000 (was #284)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#218	Andrews	133,799	2,308
#219	Alvarado	133,501	2,313
#220	Ray	133,171	2,318
#221	Delgado	132,985	2,322
#222	Berry	132,812	2,325
#223	Perkins	131,440	2,349
#224	Hoffman	131,401	2,350

Who is named Pena

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

93% of people named Pena identified as Hispanic or Latino (any race), 5.3% as white (not Hispanic) and 1.1% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

Hispanic or Latino (any race) 93%
White (not Hispanic) 5.3%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.1%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3%
Two or more races 0.2%

Compare: most common surnames among Hispanic and Latino Americans.

Famous Penas

16 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Santiago Peña
52th President of Paraguay (2023–2026)
Afonso Pena
6th president of Brazil, 1847–1909
Elizabeth Peña
American actress (1959–2014)
Carlos PenaVega
American film and TV actor, singer-songwriter, dancer and television show host, born 1989
Juan Manuel Peña
Bolivian footballer, born 1973
Álvaro Peña
Bolivian footballer, born 1965
Florencia Peña
Argentine actress, born 1974
Julianna Peña
American mixed martial artist (born 1989)
Paul Pena
American musician (1950-2005)
Jennifer Peña
American singer, born 1983
Alcides Peña
Bolivian footballer, born 1989
Ramiro Peña
Baseball player, born 1985

Notable Penas come mostly from the United States (5), Bolivia (4) and Brazil (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Pena

Pena has the Soundex code P500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P500.

Other Spanish surnames

All 992 Spanish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Pena come from?: Borrowed from Spanish Peña.
How common is the surname Pena?: 130,776 people in the United States had the surname Pena in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,361 Americans. It ranked 227th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Pena?: In the 2010 Census, 93% of people named Pena identified as Hispanic or Latino (any race), and 5.3% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Pena?: Santiago Peña, 52th President of Paraguay (2023–2026), followed by Afonso Pena.
Where is the surname Pena most common?: Wikidata records people named Pena in the United States, Bolivia and Brazil and 3 other countries.
Is the surname Pena getting more or less common?: More common. 98,345 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 130,776 in 2010, up 33%.