Surname Penay - Meaning and Origin

Penay: What does the surname Penay mean?

The last name Penay may have several origins. In French, Penay is thought to be derived from a diminutive form of the name Paganus which was used to describe someone who was a pagan or heathen. The name Paganus is believed to be Germanic and derived from the Latin word pagani which means village, countryman or rustic. It could also be a toponymic name, referring to someone from the village of Penay in France.

The surname could also be of Spanish origin. In Spanish, it is a variation on the name Pena, which is said to have its roots in Latin and is derived from the word pinea which means mountain-top or summit. In some cases, Penay may be derived from the personal name Padonay. This name is derived from the Hebrew name Judah which is a popular biblical name meaning “praise God” in Hebrew.

In some cases, Penay may also be derived from the word “pesan”, a French and English word for parson or priest, although this is not as likely as the other meanings.

Overall, Penay is a surname with multiple possible origins. It could have emerged from a personal name such as Paganus or Padonay, from a place such as Penay in France, or from a word such as pinea or pesan.

Penay: Where does the name Penay come from?

The surname Penay is a common name in France and other French-speaking countries. Some of the places where the surname is most common today include Quebec, France, and many of the countries in Africa formerly colonized by France, such as Gabon, Benin, Mali, and Congo.

The name derives from the French province of Poitou, located in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It likely originated in the Middle Ages from someone who came from the region. The surname is also recorded in the historical documents of the chatelaines of Poitou in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Penay is also common throughout the Spanish-speaking Americas, most likely due to the influx of Spanish and Portuguese immigrants who brought the surname with them when they settled the New World. The places in Latin America where the surname is the most common include Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Chile, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Honduras.

Although the name Penay is now found all over the world, it is most likely to be found in French-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries.

Variations of the surname Penay

The surname Penay is believed to have originated from the Provencal word "penèl," which means "meadows or pastures." The variants, spellings, and surnames of Penay could include:

Penal: derived from the Provencal term "penal" meaning "to pasture animals."

Penalva: derived from the Catalan word "penalvà" meaning "meadows or pastures."

Peneau: derived from French word "peneau" meaning "meadow or field."

Peneo: derived from the Greek word "pignos" meaning "path" or "way."

Peney: derived from the Latin word "penetias" meaning "fields."

Penya: derived from Spanish word "penya", meaning "piece of land."

Penelle: derived from the Catalan word "penell" meaning "wood" or "grove."

Penella: derived from the Italian word "penella" meaning "meadow or pasture."

Penya & Penetas: derived from the Spanish and Catalan words, respectively, meaning "piece of land."

Penay also has a variety of surname variants. These surnames include:

Pelayo: derived from the Spanish name "Pelayo," which means "meadow or pasture."

Penne: derived from the French word "penne," meaning “feather” and “wall” or “dam”.

Pena: derived from the Spanish word “penna”, meaning "feathers".

Penhaly: derived from the French words "penheul" meaning "moor.”

Pigney: derived from the Italian patriarchic name "Pignano," which translates to "pen," meaning "little bush" or "open field".

Pinion: derived from the French word "pinion," which means "wall or stone wall.”

Penato: derived from the Italian word "penato," meaning "hollow or depression in the ground."

Penez: derived from the Portuguese word "penez," meaning “storyteller" or "marketplace vendor".

Pellen: derived from the French word "pellen," meaning "sheepfold" or "pasture."

Peyne: derived from the French word "peyne," meaning "lavender."

Overall, the surname Penay originally has Provencal origins and has many variants, spellings, and surnames of similar meaning.

Famous people with the name Penay

• Ninon Penay: French actress
• Désirée Rancatore Penay: French actress
• Diego Penay: Uruguayan football player
• Jimmy Penay: Mexican mixed martial artist
• Billy Penay: Canadian hockey player
• Joyce Penay: Columbian former beauty queen
• Julie Penay: Costa Rican former beauty queen
• Myriam Penay: Colombian TV host
• Octavio Penay: Venezuelan singer and songwriter
• Robert Penay: Canadian former hockey coach
• Robert J. Penay: American contemporary visual artist
• Vanesa Penay: Chilean filmmaker

Other surnames

Pena