PENROSE
Recorded variant spellings include Pen Rose
The surname Penrose is of English origin and is associated with the British Isles, specifically England. It is traditionally classified as a Christian name, reflecting its early use within Christian households in the country.
Its etymology is double‑faced. One derivation, drawn from Old English, links pen meaning “hill” or “enclosure” with hros meaning “horse”. Thus the name could originally have identified someone who lived near a hill or enclosure, or a hill where horses were kept. A second derivation is Celtic, where pen denotes “head”, “top” or “end”, and ros means “moorland”, “heath” or a hill spur. Under this interpretation, Penrose signifies a person dwelling at the head of a moor or on a hill.
Penrose is locational in nature. It is recorded as one of the place‑names in Cornwall – there are ten villages and hamlets called Penrose there – and it also appears in several Welsh settlements and in Herefordshire near the Welsh border. The recurrence of the name in these areas reflects the ancient Celtic roots cited above.
The earliest documented use of the family name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Cornwall dated 1195, where a man named Philip de Penros is recorded. The entry sits within the reign of King Richard I, the Lionheart (1189‑1199), and marks the name’s entry into the surviving historical record.
Among later notable bearers, Sir Charles Vinicombe Penrose (1759‑1830) stands out. He commanded a naval squadron that cooperated with the army in the Peninsula War in 1813, served as chief in command in the Mediterranean in 1814 and 1816, and was later awarded the K.C.B. and G.C.M.G. in 1816. He was appointed vice‑admiral in 1821.
Typical given names associated with the Penrose surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Alice
- Angela
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jane
- Janet
- Jean
- Joanne
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Penrose in...
Braille
⠏⠑⠝⠗⠕⠎⠑
Morse
.--..-..-.---....
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,082 people named Penrose in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,071st most common surname in Britain. Around 32 in a million people in Britain are named Penrose.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: Anglo-Saxon
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Penrose
- Roger Penrose - Mathematical physicist, recreational mathematician and philosopher
- Tricia Penrose - Actress and singer
- Lionel Penrose - Psychiatrist, medical geneticist, mathematician, and chess theorist (1898 to 1972)
- John Penrose - Politician
- Roland Penrose - Artist and art historian (1900 to 1984)
- Jonathan Penrose - Chess player
- Antony Penrose - Writer
- Charles Penrose - Comedian, entertainer, singer (1873 to 1952)
- Oliver Penrose - Physicist
- Edith Penrose - Economist (1914 to 1996)
- Harald Penrose - Test pilot (1904 to 1996)
- Francis Penrose - Architect, archaeologist and astronomer (1817 to 1903)
- John Penrose - Archer (1850 to 1932)
- Charles Penrose - Royal Navy admiral (1759 to 1830)
- Norman Penrose - Football player (1922 to 1)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.