About the Pernell Surname

Search old registers for Pernell and you will soon meet Parnell too.

What does the surname Pernell mean?

Surname dictionaries give the meaning as “Little Peter”. About 2,845 people in the United States were recorded as Pernell in 2010, placing it 11,135 on the national list.

Is Pernell the same name as Parnell?

Pernell writes “e” in place of the “a” found in Parnell, a typical scribal difference. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. Other spellings include Purnell.

Does every Pernell family have a crest?

Arms linked to Parnell and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to.

For the full story, order the Pernell surname pack.