as a Last Name
- 9,210
- people in the U.S. have this name View all people named Penny
Meaning & Origins
English (also present in Ireland): from Middle English peni, peny ‘penny’, applied as a nickname, possibly for a person of some substance or for a tenant who paid a rent of one penny. This was the common Germanic unit of value when money was still an unusual phenomenon. It was the only unit of coinage in England until the early 14th century, when the groat and the gold noble were introduced, and was a silver coin of considerable value. There is some evidence that the word was used in Old English times as a byname.
| 3,353rd in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Pennington, Penn, Penney, Pennell, Penner, Pennock, Penna, Pinney, Penning, Pennypacker
Quick facts
- Thousands
- of people in the U.S have this name
- 9,210
- to be exact (as of February 2011)
- North Carolina
- has the most people named Penny per capita
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map
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