Place
Pennington surname meaning
An English habitational surname from Pennington (Lancashire/Cumbria or Hampshire), typically Old English pening, “penny,” plus tūn, “farmstead.”
The short story
Pennington is an English habitational surname, strongest in Lancashire and Cumbria. It comes from Pennington in Furness (Old English pening, “penny,” plus tūn, “farmstead” or “estate”—a farm assessed at a penny) or from Pennington in Leigh, Lancashire (possibly from a personal name Pinna plus -ingas and tūn). Hampshire Pennington and the related Penton places share the same penny-farm etymology. Penington and Pinnington are spelling variants. Place is high confidence: every major dictionary route is habitational from these English localities.
Also seen as: Pennington, Penington, Pinnington
Sources used
- Ancestry / Geneanet / DAFN entry for Pennington (penny + tūn; Lancashire/Hampshire places)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)