Penuel

surname · Latin script

Recorded as a male name· opposite-gender records fall within measured source noise

Penuel is a surname written in the Latin script, with more bearers in Nigeria than in any other country. Recorded meaning: The name Penuel, meaning "Face of God," carries significant theological weight, echoing Jacob's profound encounter at a place of the same name (Genesis 32:30).

rarermore common
  • USUnited States1 in 731K(measured from records)
  • LRLiberia≈1 in 53K
  • NGNigeria≈1 in 191K

carrying the name, as counted by its national register where one exists and as Mondonomo estimates it elsewhere (marked ≈ and "est." on hover). One hue, darker where it is more common; hover a country for its figure.

Nigeria (inferred from the name graph)

≈1,100 people, est.

Sources
141 (measured from records)

Highest-authority source

≈1 in 53K (inferred from the name graph)

Liberia, est.

measured from records inferred from the name graph

Name dossier (print, CSV)

Meaning & origin(measured from records)

The name Penuel, meaning "Face of God," carries significant theological weight, echoing Jacob's profound encounter at a place of the same name (Genesis 32:30). For an individual to bear this name suggests a parental hope or acknowledgment of living in God's presence. It signifies a life turned toward divine encounter and relationship.

Sources 1

  • Biblical Names Compiled Database

Attested in 1 language in the etymology graph.

Where in the world(measured from records)

Penuel counted together with the spellings and other-language forms grouped with it. Where a register counted another spelling, the row names it.

Sorted by bearers: national registers' counts, and Mondonomo's estimates (≈, est.) where no register counts.

Where Penuel is recorded, by country
CountryMost common spellingSources
NG Nigeria≈1,100 est.≈1 in 191K—Penuel18
US United States4551 in 731K469Penuel141
ZA South Africa≈220 est.≈1 in 261K—Penuel16
LR Liberia≈96 est.≈1 in 53K—Penuel1
GB United Kingdom≈69 est.≈1 in 959KlistedPenuel25
CH Switzerland≈38 est.≈1 in 223K—Penuel2

Exact figures are national registers' own counts, while figures marked ≈ and est. are Mondonomo’s estimates, counted from our sources and calibrated against those registers; hover one for how far to trust it in that country. A dash means neither exists.

Registers cited: Census Bureau — Surname Frequency 2010; Census Bureau — Surname Frequency 2020. Figures without a register are Mondonomo estimates; see Methodology.

Country figures for a list of names, at full precision, are available under licence rather than by scraping this table (how that works).

Other names spelled this way(inferred from the name graph)

Penuel is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

  • Spanish given name9 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in United States, Mexico, Philippines, Dominican Republic

    Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

    Also written Peniel, Peñuel, Péniel, Peníel, Pèniel

  • Indonesian surname4 spellings in the group

    Most recorded in Indonesia, Nigeria

    Also written Pniel

33 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses(measured from records)

Penuel is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

  • The name Penuel (or Peniel) is derived from the Hebrew words 'pānîm' (פָּנִים), meaning "face," and 'ʾĒl' (אֵל), meaning "God." It is consistently translated as "Face of God." An alternative interpretation suggests it could mean "He turns to God," derived from the verb 'pānāh' (פָּנָה), meaning "to turn."

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

  • The name Penuel, meaning "face of God," carries significant biblical resonance, echoing the place where Jacob wrestled with God and saw Him face to face (Genesis 32:30). Its use for individuals may suggest a spiritual heritage or an aspiration for a direct relationship with God within the family line.

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

  • Penuel is a strong, spiritual Hebrew name meaning "face of God." It originates from the biblical site where Jacob wrestled with an angel. Though uncommon, it's a name rich with history and suggests a deep connection to faith and divine encounter.

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

  • Penuel is a biblical boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "facing God." It is associated with the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel and evokes a sense of having a profound, direct encounter with the divine.

    as a nameBiblical Names Compiled Database

  • In English, Biblical name

    as a namePronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Evidence(measured from records)

Attested in 12 sources across 6 countries.

Official registers attesting Penuel
CountryRegisterYearCountRank
US United StatesCensus Bureau — Surname Frequency 20202020469#48,635
US United StatesCensus Bureau — Surname Frequency 20102010455#46,725
US United StatesCensus Bureau — Surname Frequency 20002000439#45,829
US United Stateswru Name Dictionary — US surnames, Census 2010 subset (Khanna et al.)———

Reference works 1

  • Wikidata name items (native-script + romanized given/family names)

These works list the name; their figures are licensed and are not reproduced here.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Penuel mean, and where does it come from?
The name Penuel, meaning "Face of God," carries significant theological weight, echoing Jacob's profound encounter at a place of the same name (Genesis 32:30). Recorded by Biblical Names Compiled Database.
In which country does Penuel have the most bearers?
Mondonomo estimates about 1.1 thousand people named Penuel in Nigeria, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled penuel.
How common is the name Penuel?
In the United States, the national register counted 455 people named Penuel in 2010, about 1 in 731 thousand residents.

What do you want to know about Penuel?

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Query this name via API
curl https://api.mondonomo.ai/api/v1/name-graph/penuel

The same payload this page is built from: spellings and scripts, countries and languages, related names, and the registers that attest the form. Rate-limited for casual use; a free API key gives 1,000 requests a day, and bulk access is licensed separately.

About this data

measured from records inferred from the name graph machine-generated

These figures come from the data snapshot of and will change as it is rebuilt.

Statistics are aggregated from the Mondonomo name corpus; related names and etymology are inferred from the name graph; pronunciation and any machine-marked transliterations are model-generated. Read how the numbers are made, including their known failure modes, and where the data comes from.

Reference works we consult — surname dictionaries, official name registers, Wikidata and Wiktionary — are named directly, beside the claims they support. The per-country source counts also include datasets of person records: we publish how many there are and their authority tier, but not their names.

Cite this page Mondonomo, “Penuel”. Data snapshot 2026-10-10.

See how Penuel parses inside a full name →