The Pence surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 12,101 people carried this name — #2,965 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 24,400 people counted. That is up 1% from 11,952 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Pence surname

Americanized spelling of German Pentz or Benz.

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

30 Pence families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 190 people lived in those households, 6.3 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 18
Pennsylvania 5
Maryland 5
North Carolina 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 256 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Pence in American newspapers,
1887–1894.

Newspaper page from The Philipsburg Mail carrying the name Pence
The Philipsburg Mail 1894-03-01
Newspaper page from The New North-west carrying the name Pence
The New North-west 1894-03-03
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Pence
Great Falls Tribune 1887-11-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,542 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Pence in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1970s.

2,446 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pence. The most, 520, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 899
New South Wales 538
Queensland 433
South Australia 305
Western Australia 161
Tasmania 97
ACT (Canberra) 6
Northern Territory 3

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

Who carried it

People named Pence,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lafe Pence
    Lafe Pence 1857–1923 · judge
  • Thomas Jones Pence
    Thomas Jones Pence 1873–1916
  • Otto V. Pence
    Otto V. Pence 1882–1936 · politician
  • Elmer Pence
    Elmer Pence 1900–1968 · baseball player
  • John Wesley Pence 1829–1893
  • Elmarine Pence 1840–1899

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Pence,
in the records of 5 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 States656 records

656 records of the Pence name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 436
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 160
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 23
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 19
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 8
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George B. Pence

    Born 1916 in Nebraska. Enlisted 1942 at Omaha; driver from Gage County. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Blue Springs Cemetery, Nebraska.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1912 aboard the La Provence from Havre, aged 21; farm laborer. From S. Marco, Cosenza, Italy; bound for Buffalo.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Thomas Pence

    Born 1948; from Birmingham, Alabama. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Kien Tuong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 656 records for Pence in the United States.

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

Canada44 records

44 records of the Pence name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 40
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Pence

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Nestorian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John A. Pence

    Died 1869 in Mount Denson, Hants, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Pence

    Married 1858 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 44 records for Pence in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Australia8 records

8 records of the Pence name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 5
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Emily Pence

    Arrived in Queensland in 1882 aboard the Roma, aged 19.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record George Pence

    Left Launceston in 1852 aboard the Clarence, bound for Melbourne, as crew.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Emmeline M. Pence

    Of Koroit, Victoria; died 1968.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Pence in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

France4 records

4 records of the Pence 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 Jean Marie Rene Pence

    Born 1921 in Salmagne (Meuse); died 1979 in Hyères (Var).

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

    Born 1902 in Salmagne (Meuse); died 1979 in Orges (Haute-Marne).

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

    Born 1901 in Salmagne; died 1974 in Ligny-en-Barrois (Meuse).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Pence 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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Pence name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Elisabet Pence

    Married in 1701 in Vlissingen.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Pence.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Pence 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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