Penton
A locational surname from places called Penton, most likely the Hampshire parish name.
The #9,760 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,968 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Penton is a locational surname, taken from a place name rather than from a personal characteristic or occupation. The sources point especially to Penton in Hampshire, and medieval bearers are recorded as "de Penton," meaning "from Penton." The place-name itself is generally understood as an old English-style settlement name, though the exact first element is not explained in the excerpts and is not certain here.
History
Medieval records show the name in England by the 13th century, including bearers in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Devon. Later surname dictionaries treat it as a straightforward locative surname from Hampshire, which fits the usual pattern of people adopting the name of the place they came from. It is still uncommon but persists in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One of the historical excerpts notes a medieval "de Penton" as early as 1273, showing the surname was already established in England by then.
From the historical record
“PENTON. A parish in Hampshire. PENWARNE. An estate at Mevagissey in Cornwall, and another at Mawnan in the same county, where the family seem to have been established soon after the Con- quest. C. S. Gilbert's Cornwall. PEPLER. PEPPLER. SeePeplow. PEPLOE. See Peplow.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom