Penna is a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

originating in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, in an area known as the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

. 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 Peña, meaning "rocky outcrop" or "rocky summit" in the Spanish language (Aragonese: ''Penya'', Catalan: ''Penya''). It may refer to: Mountains *Peña Montañesa, a mountain in the Pre-Pyrenees, Aragon, Spain *Peña de los Enamorados, a mountain ...

or Della Peña, though many have adopted the extra ''n'' to become Della Penna. Penna is also the

of many families in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Their origins are usually in and around Pennariver, in the south of Andhra Pradesh. Penna is also a

of Cornish origin. At the time of the British Census of 1881, Retrieved 25 January 2014 its frequency was highest in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

(over 72 times the national average) followed by

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

Caernarfonshire , HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon , Map= , Image= Flag , Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd) , year_start= , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...

and

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. In all other British counties, its frequency was below national average. Traditional

Cornish surnames Cornish is the adjective and demonym associated with Cornwall, the most southwesterly part of the United Kingdom. It may refer to: * Cornish language, a Brittonic Southwestern Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Cornwa ...

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 The Cornish diaspora ( kw, keskar kernewek) consists of Cornish people and their descendants who emigrated from Cornwall, United Kingdom. The diaspora is found within the United Kingdom, and in countries such as the United States, Canada, Austral ...

. 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.

People

* Angel Penna (disambiguation) * Carlos Victor Penna (1911–1998), Argentine library planner and organizer * Claudio Della Penna (born 1989 in Rome), an Italian football striker * David "Dave" Penna (1958–2004), US jockey *

Dolores Della Penna Dolores Della Penna (December 13, 1954 – July 12, 1972) was a school girl from Philadelphia who was tortured, murdered by dismemberment, and beheaded in the Kensington neighborhood in July, 1972. Disappearance Shortly before midnight on July ...

(1954–1972), 17-year-old Philadelphian schoolgirl *

Domingos Soares Ferreira Penna Domingos Soares Ferreira Penna (June 6, 1818 – January 6, 1888) was a Brazilian naturalist from the state of Minas Gerais, who founded the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, in Belém, and undertook important research in the archeology and natural re ...

(1818–1888), Brazilian naturalist * Francesco Orazio Olivieri della Penna (1680–1745), Capuchin missionary to Tibet *

Gal Costa Gal Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos (born Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos; 26 September 1945 – 9 November 2022), known professionally as Gal Costa (), was a Brazilian singer of popular music. She was one of the main figures of the tro ...

(born ''Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos''; born 1945, Salvador, Bahia), Brazilian singer of popular music *

Joe Penna Jônatas "Joe" de Moura Penna (born May 29, 1987) is a Brazilian musician and filmmaker best known from both his YouTube channel MysteryGuitarMan and his feature films. He resides in Los Angeles, California. YouTube Penna maintains the YouTub ...

, Brazilian guitarist, animator, and filmmaker *

José Luiz Penna José Luiz de França Penna (born 27 December 1945) is a Brazilian businessman, musician and politician. He is a former member of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamber of Deputies and is leader of the Green Party (Brazil), Green Party. Refer ...

(born 1945), Brazilian businessman, musician and politician *

Lucas de Penna Lucas de Penna (Luca da Penne, Luca da Penna, Luca De Penna) (c. 1325 – c. 1390) was a fourteenth-century Neapolitan jurist and a judge of the Magna Curia at Naples. He is known for his ''Commentaria in tres libros Codicis Justiniani imper ...

(''Luca da Penne, Luca da Penna, Luca De Penna''; c. 1325 – c. 1390), 14th century Neapolitan jurist and judge * Phil Penna (1857–1939), American labor leader * Roberto Penna, Italian athlete *

Sandro Penna Sandro Penna (June 12, 1906 – January 21, 1977) was an Italian poet. Biography Born in Perugia, Penna lived in Rome for most of his life. He never had a regular job, contributing to several newspapers and writing almost only poetry. His first ...

(1906, Perugia – 1977, Rome), Italian poet * Toney G. Penna (1908–1995), Italian-American professional golfer * Vinnie Penna, voice actor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penna Cornish-language surnames Italian-language surnames Indian surnames

People

See also

References