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Penna Family History

Penna Name Meaning

Cornish: perhaps a hypocoristic form (with the Cornish suffix -ow) of a name in Pen- such as Pentec ‘fair head’ (Cornish pen ‘head’ + tec ‘fine fair’) or a similarly formed Cornish hypocoristic form of the Middle English female personal name Penne a short form of Pernel (Penn ). Italian (mainly southern): probably a topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or peak or generally in an elevated location penna (from Latin pinnus ‘pointed’) a common element of placenames. Compare La Penna . Possibly also an American shortened form of Greek Pennas: from the vocabulary word penna ‘quill pen’ + occupational suffix -as hence a metonymic occupational name for a clerk or scribe. This is also the Greek feminine form of the surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Senna, Penn, Penne, Perna, Pena, Menna, Piana, Perla, Pera, Penka

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Penna family from?

You can see how Penna families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Penna family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Penna families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 155 Penna families living in Cornwall. This was about 64% of all the recorded Penna's in United Kingdom. Cornwall had the highest population of Penna families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Penna surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Penna ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Penna. 59% of Penna men worked as a Farmer and 85% of Penna women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Penna were General Labourer and Housewife. .

View Census Data for Penna | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Farmer
    59%
  • Ice Cream Salesman
    25%
  • General Labourer
    17%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    85%
  • Wife
    6%
  • Unpaid Household Duties
    4%
  • Housewife
    4%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Penna family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 10,000 census records available for the last name Penna. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Penna census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Penna

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Penna. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Penna immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Penna. For the veterans among your Penna ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Penna military records

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What is the average Penna lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Penna life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Penna in 1948 was 62, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Penna

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