The Peña surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 130,776 people carried this name — #227 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,260 people counted. That is up 33% from 98,345 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Peña surname

Pena: a Spanish habitational surname from landforms.

From peña (“rock, cliff”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entries «Pena» (English) and «Peña» (Spanish), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 35,294 people named Peña live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 13,171
City of Buenos Aires 3,992
Mendoza 2,661
Córdoba 2,050
Santa Fe 1,937
Río Negro 1,428
Neuquén 1,372
San Juan 1,150

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

872 people named Peña live in Switzerland.

They live in 19 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Zurich 154
Geneva 142
Vaud 127
Bern 97
Fribourg 57
Aargau 44
St. Gallen 36
Neuchâtel 29

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 766 people named Peña.

325 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 64 départements, most often Gironde.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born

Born outside France 325
Gironde 56
Hérault 43
Aude 40
Paris 31
Haute-Garonne 29
Bouches-du-Rhône 21
Hautes-Pyrénées 16
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 15

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

178 people named Peña have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 223 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lesser Poland.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Lesser Poland 149
Silesian 20
Lower Silesian 7
Masovian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

97 people named Peña is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 97

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Peña in American newspapers,
1847–1909.

Newspaper page from The Mississippi Creole carrying the name Peña
The Mississippi Creole 1847-11-13
Newspaper page from The Morning News carrying the name Peña
The Morning News 1898-04-24
Newspaper page from St. Landry Clarion carrying the name Peña
St. Landry Clarion 1909-09-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Peña in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1990s.

510 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Peña. The most, 98, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 142
Victoria 80
New South Wales 50
Queensland 40
ACT (Canberra) 26
Western Australia 26
Tasmania 10

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Peña.

Who carried it

People named Peña,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Rodrigo de la Peña García
    Rodrigo de la Peña García 1871–1962 · lawyer
  • Ramón Peña
    Ramón Peña 1883–1965 · actor
  • Luis Peña Sánchez
    Luis Peña Sánchez 1886–1959 · actor
  • Ramón Peña Gil
    Ramón Peña Gil 1892–1967 · draftsperson
  • Concha Peña Pastor
    Concha Peña Pastor 1906–1960 · lawyer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 236 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Peña,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,762 records

2,762 records of the Peña name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 1,770
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 529
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 333
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 83
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 19
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 9
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 8
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 6
  • Sacramento County historic burials 5
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jesse Joseph Pena

    Born 1949; from Davenport, Iowa. U.S. Navy, hospital corpsman; killed in action 1970 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Rock Island National Cemetery, Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Severiano Pena

    Born 1916 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sam Houston; lumberman from Duval County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1987, buried at Benavides Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Hulda Pena

    Arrived at New York in 1896 aboard the Lucania from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 19; servant. From Finland, Russia; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,762 records for Peña in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France236 records

236 records of the Peña name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Michel Pena

    Born 1909 in Spain; died 1997 in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Carmen Pena

    Born 1934 in Spain; died 2001 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Vincent Pena

    Born 1928 in Morocco; died 2001 in Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 236 records for Peña in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Peña name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Bartholomy Pena

    Died 1968 in Rotterdam, aged 37.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Charlotte Pena

    In the population register of Leeuwarden; born 1868.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Elisabeth Pena

    Baptised in 1810 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Peña in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Australia2 records

2 records of the Peña name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Jose Pena

    Miner of Richmond, Victoria; died 1958.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alfredo Pena

    Arrived in Victoria in 1893 aboard the Oruba, aged 24.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada1 record

1 record of the Peña name in Canada Nova Scotia Archives name indexes
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Medora Pena

    Married 1898 in Queens, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Peña name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Nowak Pena

    Reported dead in the German casualty list of 17 December 1915.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Peña.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Peña is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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