Penna (surname)

Penna is a surname originating in Italy, in an area known as the Papal States. Since Papal names often denoted place of origin, the Penna family lived in one of several places in Italy named Penna.

Its origins are unrelated to the Hispanic surname Peña or Della Peña, though many have adopted the extra n to become Della Penna.

Penna is also the surname of many families in India. Their origins are usually in and around Pennariver, in the south of Andhra Pradesh.

Penna is also a surname of Cornish origin. At the time of the British Census of 1881,[1] its frequency was highest in Cornwall (over 72 times the national average) followed by Cumberland, Caernarfonshire and County Durham. In all other British counties, its frequency was below national average. Traditional Cornish surnames tend to start with 'Tre', 'Pol' or 'Pen'. To quote a Cornish saying "By the Tre, Pol and Pen, you can tell the Cornishmen". Following the collapse of mining in the 18th and 19th centuries; many Cornish folk emigrated in the great Cornish diaspora. As a result of this, the name Penna can be found in many mining centers around the world, notably the Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.