Penn Family History

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Penn Name Meaning

English: habitational name from various places, for example Penn in Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire, named with the Celtic element pen ‘hill’, which was apparently adopted in Old English. English: metonymic occupational name for an impounder of stray animals, from Middle English, Old English penn ‘(sheep) pen’. English: pet form of Parnell. German: from Sorbian pien ‘tree stump’, probably a nickname for a short stocky person. Americanized form of a like-sounding Jewish surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Penk, Pinn, Henn, Penna, Benn, Bean, Genn, Fenn, Penne, Penny

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Penn Family Origin

Where is the Penn family from?

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You can see how Penn families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Penn family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Penn families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 539 Penn families living in London. This was about 19% of all the recorded Penn's in the UK. London had the highest population of Penn families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Penn surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

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Penn Family Occupations

What did your Penn ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the UK named Penn. 10% of Penn men worked as a General Labourer and 71% of Penn women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Penn were Incapacitated and Domestic Duties

View Census data for Penn | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations in 1939

  • General Labourer
    10%
  • Bricklayer
    5%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Incapacitated
    4%

Top Female Occupations in 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    71%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%

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

Penn Historical Records

What Penn family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 142,000 census records available for the last name Penn. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Penn census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Penn

Passenger List

There are 15,000 immigration records available for the last name Penn. 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 Penn immigration records

Draft Card

There are 38,000 military records available for the last name Penn. For the veterans among your Penn ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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Penn Life Expectancy

What is the average Penn lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Penn life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Penn in 1942 was 25, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Penn

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Penn ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Penn Family Ancestors

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