Penney Surname

24,138th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 22,413 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Guernsey

Penney Surname Definition:

Johannes Peny was witness in Elgin in 1343 (REM., p. 290), Mr. John Peny, a Scottish clerk, had a safe conduct in England, 1362 (Rot. Scot., I, p. 867b), and a later John Peny had a grant of the fulling mill of Ballernache in Perthshire in 1375 (RMS.

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Penney Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States8,0291:45,1445,516
Canada7,4651:4,936717
England3,4891:15,9702,328
Australia1,4311:18,8652,616
New Zealand7221:6,2721,053
Ghana3461:78,0947,799
South Africa1921:282,17627,721
Wales1231:25,1592,628
Ireland1091:43,2013,310
Guernsey961:671102
Northern Ireland881:20,9662,489
Scotland781:68,6395,330
Mexico741:1,677,38117,205
Argentina211:2,035,401100,871
Thailand161:4,414,897343,519
Brazil131:16,467,256295,032
Switzerland111:746,62949,719
France91:7,380,302306,885
Zimbabwe91:1,715,36084,476
United Arab Emirates91:1,018,03036,884
Qatar61:393,00055,922
British Virgin Islands51:6,319600
Sweden51:1,969,351134,077
Jersey51:19,8403,614
Netherlands51:3,377,435111,911
China41:341,830,39216,990
Spain31:15,584,012120,866
Ecuador31:5,301,94930,184
India31:255,688,4611,306,352
Denmark31:1,881,57267,227
Italy31:20,385,563143,117
Trinidad and Tobago21:681,98817,017
Oman21:1,843,9869,590
Philippines21:50,619,112341,003
Indonesia21:66,124,597756,638
Senegal21:7,289,6718,117
Bhutan11:616,0391,715
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Vietnam11:92,646,0548,382
Gibraltar11:33,9541,660
Zambia11:15,849,92253,989
Colombia11:47,774,07244,230
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
Germany11:80,505,459560,955
Costa Rica11:4,780,06913,345
Egypt11:91,935,754132,737
Austria11:8,515,435118,036
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Liberia11:4,408,53547,110
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Brunei11:418,7313,893
Singapore11:5,507,70347,049
Ivory Coast11:23,071,23276,679
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Papua New Guinea11:8,153,717181,784
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
Nigeria11:177,142,758748,972
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1061:41,7913,769
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1,4381:16,9512,471
Scotland891:42,0593,125
Wales481:32,6751,788
Jersey151:3,459578
Guernsey131:2,512419
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,5951:31,4853,796

Penney (3,449) may also be a first name.

Penney Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

Johannes Peny was witness in Elgin in 1343 (REM., p. 290), Mr. John Peny, a Scottish clerk, had a safe conduct in England, 1362 (Rot. Scot., I, p. 867b), and a later John Peny had a grant of the fulling mill of Ballernache in Perthshire in 1375 (RMS., I, 577). George Penny was a writer in Edinbergh in 1433 (RED., I, 59), Alexander Penny held land in Glasgow in 1487 (LCD., p. 256), and John Penny was prior of the order of Preachers in Aberdeen in 1486-7 (REA., II, p. 299; LCD., p. 201) William Peny held a croft in the sheriffdom of Linlithgow in 1500 (Neubotle, p. 281), and in 1529 "Desse Penne oblissis hir neuer to by buttir nor cheise .. to regrait agane" in Edinburgh (MCM., II,p. 85). Isobel Pennie is recorded in Chirnsyde in 1683 (Lauder), and James Penny from Fyvie was killed in the first Great War (Turriff). Penney 1470.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

V. Penny.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English, Scottish, French) Dweller at the sign of the feather; descendant of Penny.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Probably local. Many places in Scotland are compounded with this word (whatever it may mean), as Pennycross, Pennycuick, Pennygown, Pennimuir, &c.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

The top of a mountain or hill. A mountain in Spain is called by the inhabitants "La Penna de los Enamorados,"or the Lover's Rock. The word has the same meaning as the English pinnacle.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

This name has been classed with Benn, Benney, Binney, Old German Benno, Benni, Binne, Modern German Behn, Benne, Bihn. It is rather from the W. pen, head, chief, end. Hence the names Fippeny, Fourapenny (found Fourapeni), Godspenny, Hankpenny, Manypenny, Moneypenny, Pennycook, Pennycuick, Pennymaker, Pennyman (anciently Pennaman and Peniman), Pennymore, Smalpenny, Tempany, Tenpenny, Thickpenny, Ticklepenny, Turnpenny, Whirlpenny (in H.R. Whirlepeni), Wilderspin, Wimpenny, Winpenny (white). See also Allpenny, Halfpenny, Hapenny, Twopenny, Craven, Inkpen, Pennyfather, Pennyfeather.

Ludus Patronymicus (1868) by Richard Stephen Charnock

In the reign of Anne, John Penny, Esq., lived at Charlton Musgrove, and at the same time a burgess of Glastonbury bore this name (P.).

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Penney Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Penney Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Penney occurs in The United States more than any other country/territory. It can be rendered as a variant:. For other potential spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Penney? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 24,138th most commonly occurring family name worldwide. It is borne by approximately 1 in 325,148 people. Penney occurs mostly in The Americas, where 70 percent of Penney reside; 69 percent reside in North America and 69 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Penney is also the 121,088th most widely held given name at a global level, held by 3,449 people.

The last name Penney is most widely held in The United States, where it is borne by 8,029 people, or 1 in 45,144. In The United States it is mostly concentrated in: Texas, where 12 percent live, California, where 9 percent live and Massachusetts, where 8 percent live. Beside The United States this surname exists in 63 countries. It also occurs in Canada, where 33 percent live and England, where 16 percent live.

Penney Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Penney has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Penney surname grew 503 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 243 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 256 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it grew 103 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Scotland it contracted 12 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Penney Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the last name is predominantly Presbyterian (43%) in Ireland.

In The United States Penney are 1.46% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than The US average, with 51.77% being registered with the political party.

The amount Penney earn in different countries varies significantly. In South Africa they earn 21.69% more than the national average, earning R 289,188 per year; in United States they earn 4.2% more than the national average, earning $44,960 USD per year and in Canada they earn 7.07% less than the national average, earning $46,171 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Penneys9239/
Penniey921/
Penny9134,716/
Penne911,925/
Penner8332,337/
Pinney836,804/
Pennie832,193/
Pennay83380/
Pennes83276/
Pennue83265/
Pienne83240/
Penneh83224/
Pennet83213/
Pennye8359/
Pennea8341/
Pennoe8324/
Pennyy837/
Pienny834/
Pennee833/
Pengne832/
Penneu832/
Penniy831/
Phnney831/
Puenne831/
Pennez830/
Peenny830/
Pfenne830/
Pennei830/
Pnne801/
Pney801/
Pennett77319/
Pengnet7774/
Penness7732/
Pennaya7717/
Pfenner778/
Paennoy775/
Pengnoy772/
Pengnie772/
Pennieh771/
Pennets771/
Penneux771/
Penniya771/
Pfennes771/
Pennyeh771/
Pingney770/
Piennie770/
Penna7326,044/
Pinne73563/
Penni73401/
Pinny73273/
Penné7356/
Pynne7333/
Pennè7322/
Pemne731/
Pnner730/
Pemny730/
Pinner674,890/
Pennas67233/
Pinnoy67182/
Pinnet67144/
Pennau6760/
Pennou6759/
Pennaz6758/
Pünner6756/
Pennap6755/
Pennis6744/
Pennah6741/
Pinnay6724/
Pinnes6724/
Pengni6723/
Pönner6722/
Pinnie6722/
Pny6718/
Pinneh6716/
Pne6714/
Pennat6714/
Pionne6711/
Pennio6711/
Paenna6710/
Pengna679/
Penniz677/
Pienna675/
Pinniy675/
Pennaa675/
Pennoi674/
Pennad674/
Pingne672/
Peenna672/
Pfenni671/
Pinneu671/
Pennai671/
Pemnje671/
Pennni671/
Pinned671/
Pinnee671/
Pennip671/
Pimney670/
Pinnea670/

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Penney Reference & Research

Penny DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Penny FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Penney
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis