Explore the Family Name Penna
The meaning of Penna
1. Cornish: perhaps a hypocoristic form (with the Cornish suffix -ow) of a name in Pen-, such as Pentec ‘fair head’ (Cornish pen ‘head’ + tec ‘fine, fair’), or a similarly formed Cornish hypocoristic form of the Middle English female personal name Penne, a short form of Pernel (Penn 3). 2. 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 placenames. Compare La Penna. 3. Possibly also an American shortened form of Greek Pennas: from the vocabulary word penna ‘quill, pen’ + occupational suffix -as, hence a metonymic occupational name for a clerk or scribe. This is also the Greek feminine form of the surname. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Antonio, Enrico, Gennaro, Mario, Rocco, Amedeo, Angelo, Carmelo, Ferdinando, Gaetano, Giuseppe, Leonardo, Nicola. Spanish Angel, Juan, Camilo, Carlos, Diego, Esteban, Ines.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Penna in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Penna" has seen a considerable decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Penna ranked 12,096 in popularity among all surnames but dropped to 16,616 by 2010, a decrease of approximately 37%. Similarly, the count of individuals with the surname decreased from 2,366 to 1,726 over the same period, showing a downturn of roughly 27%. The proportion per 100,000 people also saw a drop of about 33%, going from 0.88 in 2000 to 0.59 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,096 | #16,616 | -37.37% |
| Count | 2,366 | 1,726 | -27.05% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.88 | 0.59 | -32.95% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Penna
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Penna has slightly varied over the years, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In both 2000 and 2010, the majority identified as White, with an almost constant percentage (84.40% in 2000 and 84.36% in 2010). The Hispanic community saw a slight increase of about 3% over the decade, while the representation of Asian/Pacific Islander and those of two or more races slightly fell. Interestingly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native representation saw a significant increase, rising by almost 37% from 0.30% to 0.41%. Meanwhile, the Black community's representation remained relatively stable, seeing only a minor decrease.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84.4% | 84.36% | -0.05% |
| Hispanic | 10.48% | 10.78% | 2.86% |
| Two or More Races | 2.16% | 1.97% | -8.8% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.48% | 1.33% | -10.14% |
| Black | 1.18% | 1.16% | -1.69% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.3% | 0.41% | 36.67% |
Penna ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Penna is Italian, which comprises 26.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (24.1%) and French & German (14.9%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Indigenous American, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Italian | 26.1% |
| British & Irish | 24.1% |
| French & German | 14.9% |
| Other | 34.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Penna
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Penna have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Italy.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| South Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 53.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 53.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 53.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 53.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 51.90% |
What Penna haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Penna is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Penna surname are: N, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Penna have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Penna" Surname 39.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Penna" Surname 38.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Penna" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Penna" Surname 13.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Penna?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Penna are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition