Penn
A surname with multiple English and Celtic roots, especially from places named Penn or from a word for a hilltop or enclosure.
The #1,849 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,907 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Penn is most commonly explained as a locational surname. In English usage it can come from places named Penn, from Old English enn meaning an enclosure, fold, or pound; some sources also connect it with a Celtic word for a hill or headland. The surname could therefore mean either 'one who lived by the pen/enclosure' or 'one from a place called Penn,' with place-name origins often overlapping with the topographic sense.
History
Medieval records show forms such as de la Penne and de Penna, pointing to early location-based use. The surname is associated with Penn in Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire, and later became famous through the family of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. Because the underlying place-name itself may reflect either an enclosure or a hill-top feature, the surname has a somewhat mixed English-Celtic background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Penn family of William Penn, namesake of Pennsylvania, was traced by 19th-century scholars to Penn in Buckinghamshire.
From the historical record
“maen, a stone, rock] PENN (Eng.) 1 Dweller at a Pen or, Fold [O.E. penn\ Adam de la Penne.— ffMBrf. Rolls. The Staffs Penn is Penne in Domesday Book. / (occ.) 2 the A.-Sax. pfirs. name Penniji. (Celt.) Dweller at a Head or Height [Wel./.g«]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Penn
- Sean Penn (b. 1960)
- Robin Wright (b. 1966)
- William Penn (1644–1718)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.