Find out how popular the last name Pennington is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pennington.

Pennington, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pennington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pennington in America

Pennington is the 846th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pennington surname appeared 40,854 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Pennington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pennington to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pennington

The surname Pennington is of English origin, derived from the place name Pennington, which is found in various locations across England. The name is believed to have originated during the Anglo-Saxon period, possibly in the 7th or 8th century.

The name Pennington is thought to be derived from the Old English words "Penning" and "tun," which together mean "the farmstead or village of Penning." The word "Penning" was likely an Old English personal name, but its exact meaning is uncertain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pennington can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book includes references to various locations with the name Pennington.

In the 12th century, a notable figure named William de Pennington is mentioned in records related to Lancashire, England. He was likely a landowner or nobleman associated with the village of Pennington.

During the 13th century, a member of the Pennington family, Sir John de Pennington (c. 1230-1302), served as the Sheriff of Cumberland and held significant landholdings in the region.

Another prominent individual with the surname Pennington was Sir Isaac Pennington (1584-1661), an English politician and Lord Mayor of London. He played a crucial role in the English Civil War and was a supporter of the Parliamentary cause.

In the 18th century, Thomas Pennington (1726-1783) was a notable English botanist and naturalist. He made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification.

The surname Pennington has also been associated with other notable individuals throughout history, such as William Pennington (1875-1949), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, and Melissa Pennington (born 1982), an American actress and model.

While the surname Pennington has its roots in England, it has since become widespread and can be found in various parts of the world due to migration and various historical events.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pennington

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pennington.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pennington was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pennington has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pennington was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pennington, please contact us.

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