This Spanish word "one who lives near a crag (or cliff)," The term 'Pena' means rock, so a dweller near a large stone or rock. It is spelled also ‘de la Pena’ and in Portuguese as ‘Penha.’

Various forms of Pena can be written "Pena", "de La Pena", "Penna", or even "Penha".

Locations with individuals having the Pena name are , Aragón, Galicia and Burgos regions of Spain. Mostly in Spain and then Mexico are where the majority of individuals with the Pena surname originated from.

Some locations in England with Pena surnames are Herefordshire, Yorkshire, Warwickshire and London. The states with higher numbers of Pena families are Texas, New Mexico and California within the United States.

Most Pena families were laborers and farmers in the 1880s.

Famous: Ramiro Pena (professional baseball player with New York Yankees), Jennifer Pena (pop singer), Adela Pena (violinist, member of the Eroica Trio and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra), Elizabeth Pena (actress), Guillermo Gómez-Pena (Mexican-American writer, port and actor), Paco Pena (Spanish Flamenco guitarist), Horacio de la Pena (Argentinean tennis player) and Alejandro Pena (professional baseball player with Atlanta Braves).