Penny Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Penny last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Penny coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Penny last name
Meaning of the Penny last name: a nickname or personal name connected with the penny coin. Penny is usually explained as a nickname from the coin, perhaps for a person who owed a yearly rent of one penny. The last name is widely spread in southern England, and its American branches derive from several unrelated immigrants rather than one surname family.
Arms associated with the Penny name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full Penny family history
This is only a glimpse of the Penny story. The full Penny 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 Penny coat of arms. Get the full Penny report.
Penny name FAQ
What does the Penny name mean?
A nickname or personal name connected with the penny coin.
Where does the Penny surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States and Australia.
Is there a Penny coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Penny coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.