Explore the Family Name Penney
The meaning of Penney
English: variant of Penny.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Penney in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Penney showcased a slight shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 5,626th and by 2010, it had slipped to 5982nd, marking a decrease of 6.33 percent. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased slightly over the decade, from 5,659 to 5,752, reflecting a growth of 1.64 percent. This change also affected the proportion per 100,000 people which dropped by 7.14 percent, moving from 2.1 in 2000 to 1.95 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,626 | #5,982 | -6.33% |
| Count | 5,659 | 5,752 | 1.64% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.1 | 1.95 | -7.14% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Penney
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Penney likewise experienced some changes from 2000 to 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander grew by 36.84 percent and those claiming two or more races saw an increase of 61.94 percent. Meanwhile, the proportion of Penneys identifying as White decreased slightly by 1.78 percent. There was also a rise in the Hispanic representation, increasing by 32.47 percent, while the percentage of Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities remained relatively stable with minor decreases and increases respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.69% | 90.06% | -1.78% |
| Black | 3.3% | 3.25% | -1.52% |
| Hispanic | 1.94% | 2.57% | 32.47% |
| Two or More Races | 1.34% | 2.17% | 61.94% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.15% | 1.16% | 0.87% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.57% | 0.78% | 36.84% |
Penney 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 Penney is British & Irish, which comprises 58.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.2%) and Scandinavian (3.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 58.8% |
| French & German | 21.2% |
| Scandinavian | 3.8% |
| Other | 16.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Penney
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 Penney have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 91.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 91.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 91.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 91.40% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 90.90% |
What Penney 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 Penney is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and I-M26, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Keys, Fletcher, Eckert, Andrew, Haley, Dennis, Abbott, Phillips, Knight, Shafer.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Penney surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Penney 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.
"Penney" Surname 44.2%
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.
"Penney" Surname 17.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Penney" Surname 23.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Penney" Surname 10.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Penney?
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 Penney are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition