Penney
An English and Scottish surname most often treated as a form of Penny, though some writers linked it to the coin itself.
The #5,982 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,676 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most historical sources treat Penney as a spelling or variant form of Penny. In English, Penny is usually explained as a nickname or surname formed from the coin-name, or sometimes from an older personal name used in a diminutive way. A few 19th-century writers also suggested a direct link with the coin rather than a separate occupational or locative source, but they did not present a firmly settled derivation.
History
The name appears in both English and Scottish records, though it was never among the most common surnames in Scotland. 19th-century Scottish writers noted bearers such as William Penney of Glasgow, who became Lord Kinloch in the Court of Session. In some works the surname is simply cross-referenced to Penny, showing that the two were often treated as the same family name in spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century Scottish source specifically described Penney as “not very common in Scotland,” while also linking it to the coin of the same name.
From the historical record
“Cp.,Pinner. PENNEY, V. Penny. PEN N ICK \ (Celt.) Big Head [Bret, pennek— PEN NOCK i pen(n, a head + the possess, suff. -ek] Cp. Pinnock. Pennek: Tetu, qui a une grosse tete. Au figur6, entet^i opiniatre, obstin6 ..... Pennek est un notn de famille assez com-”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)