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Penna Family History

Penna Name Meaning

Cornish: of uncertain origin; perhaps a habitational name from any of the places named Penare or Penarth, from Cornish pen-arth ‘promontory’, ‘headland’. Italian (mainly southern): probably a topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or peak, or generally in an elevated location, penna (from Latin pinnus ‘pointed’), a common element of place names. Greek: from the Greek vocabulary word penna ‘quill’, ‘pen’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a clerk or scribe (Greek Pennas, with the occupational suffix -as).

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


Similar surnames: Senna, Penn, Penne, Perna, Pena, Menna, Piana, Perla, Pera, Penka

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Penna family from?

You can see how Penna families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Penna family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Penna families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1840 there were 2 Penna families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 67% of all the recorded Penna's in the USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Penna families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Penna surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Penna ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Clerk were the top reported jobs for men and women in the US named Penna. 22% of Penna men worked as a Laborer and 11% of Penna women worked as a Clerk. Some less common occupations for Americans named Penna were Farmer and Seamstress.

View Census data for Penna | Data not to scale

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

Top Male Occupations in 1940

  • Laborer
    22%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Operator
    5%
  • Farmer
    5%

Top Female Occupations in 1940

  • Clerk
    11%
  • Operator
    10%
  • New Worker
    10%
  • Seamstress
    9%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Penna family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 10,000 census records available for the last name Penna. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Penna census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Penna

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Penna. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Penna immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Penna. For the veterans among your Penna ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Penna military records

You've only scratched the surface of Penna family history.

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What is the average Penna lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Penna life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Penna in 1948 was 62, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Penna

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