PENA
Pena is a surname of Iberian origin, primarily found in Spain and Portugal. It first emerged in European records during the late sixteenth century and has since been established throughout southern Europe.
The name originates from the Spanish word peña, which translates literally as “rock” or “cliff.” As a locative surname, it tended to be assigned to individuals who lived near a prominent rocky outcrop or a steep hillside, suggesting a close association with the natural landscape.
In Portuguese tradition, Pena is sometimes seen as a variant of Pereira, a surname meaning “pear tree.” This alternate derivation reflects a different semantic field, linking the family name to a botanical rather than a geographic feature.
Historical scholarship also points to a Roman or Latin root in the word penna, which in antiquity denoted a “prominent rock” or more frequently a fortification, such as a battlement or fortress. The Roman Empire’s extensive reach through Europe for more than a millennium helped disseminate the spelling and usage of this surname across diverse linguistic regions.
Recorded in several orthographic variants—including Pena, Pina, Pinilla, Pennetta and Pennazzi—the name appears in parish registers and civil documents in Italy, Mexico and the United States. Notable entries include Nicolleta Penna, baptised at Potenz in Italy on 11 June 1613; Nicolosa de la Pena, christened at Santa Ana, Mexico, on 5 March 1713; Luiza Penazzi, recorded at San Benedetto in Mantova, Italy, on 6 February 1755; and Luis Pena, listed at Mission Buenaventura, California, on 3 February 1785. Further examples are Maria Mavilla Pina, who married Jose Raphael in San Jose Nuestra, Mexico, on 23 September 1802, and Dora Pena, wed to John Parry Rowlands in El Dorado, California, on 6 April 1920.
The Spanish coat of arms granted to bearers of the surname features a blue field charged with a gold five‑pointed star, a design that has become emblematic of the family’s heraldic identity.
The earliest documented instance of the name appears in a legal record from Nuestra Señora, Valladolid, Spain, dated 9 October 1577. The entry mentions Matheo de la Pena, during the reign of King Phillip XI of Spain, who also held the title of Emperor of Mexico between 1556 and 1598.
Typical given names associated with the Pena surname
Male
- Antonio
- Carlos
- Dary
- David
- Federico
- Francis
- Francisco
- Jorge
- Jose
- Juan
- Manuel
- Milton
- Nelson
- Santiago
- Wayne
Female
- Ana
- Angel
- Carmen
- Diana
- Jc
- Laura
- Maria
- Mary
- Nelva
- Olatz
- Patricia
- Samantha
- Sharon
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Pena in...
Braille
⠏⠑⠝⠁
Morse
.--..-..-
Semaphore
There are approximately 305 people named Pena in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Pena.
Origin: Iberian
Region of origin: Europe
Country of origin: Spain
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Spanish
