Penn Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Penn last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Penn last name
Meaning of the Penn last name: hill or sheep pen. Penn is an English surname from places such as Penn in Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire, from a Brittonic word for "hill", or from Old English penn, "sheep pen". The last name is best known through William Penn, the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, whose father was an English admiral.
Arms associated with the Penn name
Heraldry associated with the Penn surname uses a few strong colours, and each coat of arms has its own blazon.
Get your full Penn family history
This is only a glimpse of the Penn story. The full Penn history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Penn coat of arms. Get the full Penn report.
Penn name FAQ
What does the Penn name mean?
hill or sheep pen. Common variants include Pen, Penne.
Where does the Penn surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Penn coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Penn coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).