Fun Facts About the Name Penn
- More than 1 thousand babies named Penn: U.S. records list 1,230 babies given the name Penn from 1880 through 2025. Even 22 girls received the name Penn - about 1 girl for every 55 boys.
What Does the Name Penn Mean?
Penn is an English name that comes from the surname Penn, and the surname has two separate sources. In the Brittonic Celtic languages, penn meant "head," "top," or "hill" - the same root found in Welsh pen and Cornish pen. This word lies behind several English places called Penn, including Penn in Buckinghamshire and Penn in Staffordshire, and a family living at one of them could take the place name as a surname, giving the meaning "hill" or "headland." A second source is the Old English word penn, meaning "pen" or "enclosure," used as a topographic name for someone who lived by, or kept animals in, a fold or pen. Because place names and landscape terms can take the same written form, the two derivations are not always easy to tell apart for a given family.
Penn Name History & Origins
The given name Penn is drawn from the English surname Penn rather than from an older personal name. That surname is medieval and belongs to the large group of English family names taken from the places or types of land where people lived. The places called Penn, such as Penn in Buckinghamshire and Penn in Staffordshire, are generally explained by the Brittonic word for a hill or height, a Celtic element that survived in English local names. The Old English word for an enclosure or pen produced a second, separate type of surname with the same spelling.
The surname became well known through the Penn family. Admiral Sir William Penn (1621 - 1670) was an English naval commander, and his son William Penn (1644 - 1718), a Quaker, founded the North American colony of Pennsylvania. The colony took its name from the family: the younger Penn proposed calling it Sylvania, and the king added Penn in honor of the admiral. The state of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania later carried the name forward.
As a first name, Penn is a modern use of the surname rather than an inherited given name. The magician and writer Penn Jillette, born in 1955, and the actor Penn Badgley are among the better-known people who have borne it. The name's shape - one syllable, beginning and ending with the same two consonants - reflects its origin as a short English surname.
How Popular is the Name Penn?
Penn has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2014. Its best rank was #1,869 in 2014.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #13,123 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #17,389 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #10,689 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,706 | 48 | 0.0028% |
| 2024 | #2,978 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2023 | #2,119 | 69 | 0.0040% |
| 2022 | #2,548 | 54 | 0.0031% |
| 2021 | #2,213 | 64 | 0.0037% |
| 2020 | #1,972 | 73 | 0.0042% |
| 2019 | #2,144 | 67 | 0.0037% |
| 2018 | #2,606 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 2017 | #2,211 | 61 | 0.0033% |
| 2016 | #2,159 | 64 | 0.0034% |
| 2015 | #2,344 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 2014 | #1,869 | 79 | 0.0041% |
| 2013 | #2,389 | 53 | 0.0028% |
| 2012 | #2,665 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2011 | #3,288 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 2010 | #3,607 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2009 | #3,457 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2008 | #4,500 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #6,180 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #7,858 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #7,515 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #9,680 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #8,429 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #7,359 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #8,888 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #9,572 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #9,333 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #10,395 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #7,199 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #6,071 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #5,929 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #5,766 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #7,312 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,032 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #5,079 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #5,677 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #5,252 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #3,844 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #3,525 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #4,504 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1959 | #3,220 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1957 | #3,477 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #4,253 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1954 | #3,385 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #4,213 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #3,641 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #3,225 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #3,655 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1946 | #3,111 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #3,658 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #3,441 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #4,416 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1926 | #4,676 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,231 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #4,807 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1920 | #4,808 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1917 | #3,876 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #3,317 | 7 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Penn Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Penn's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Penn's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.