Surname Pfennings - Meaning and Origin

Pfennings: What does the surname Pfennings mean?

The last name Pfennings is a German surname that has its origin probably in the Middle Ages. Its meaning is uncertain; however, it is thought to be derived from the Old High German word 'penning', which means penny. This could indicate that originally the name was given to a person that was associated with money or coins.

Another theory suggests that the name is derived from 'Fenning', which was used in the Middle Ages to refer to an area of cultivated land in Germany, or a fen or marsh. In this case, the surname would imply that its original bearers worked as farmers.

The surname could also be related to 'Penninger', which was used in southern Germany to refer to the owners of small plots of land. This suggests that the first bearers of the Pfennings surname might have belonged to the lower middle class.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname has been found in the parish records of a German community from the 15th century. The surname was quite widespread across Germany during the 17th century, but nowadays it is most commonly found in the states of Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Bavaria.

Pfennings: Where does the name Pfennings come from?

The last name Pfennings is primarily found in Germany today, especially in North-Rhine Westphalia, an area in the western part of the country. It is also found in Austria, and less common in France and Belgium. The name is most likely German in origin, although it might be derived from other languages too.

Although Pfennings may be a fairly common name in Germany, its origin still remains quite mysterious. Some evidence points to a migration of people from Franconia in Bavaria around 750 AD to the modern-day North-Rhine Westphalia region. This is further supported by the linguistics of the name, which appears to be related to a Germanic language.

The name also appears to have different variations, such as Pennings, Pfening, and Penninger. This suggests that particular members of the Pfennigs family have moved and assimilated to their local area, adopting different ways of spelling their name as a result.

It appears that the Pfennings name is still quite common in Germany today, although it is quite a rare surnames in the rest of the world. This suggests that the origin of the name and its variants is still concentrated primarily in Germany and Austria, and that it has not spread much further afield.

Variations of the surname Pfennings

The surname Pfennings is of German origin and is likely derived from a place name with the name Pfennig. The Pfennings spelling is the most commonly used version, but there are numerous other variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin.

Variants of the surname Pfennings include: Pfennig, Pennig, Penning, Pennings, and Penis. Each of these variants may be found with different spellings or suffixes, such as Pfenninger, Pfenniger, Penniger, Penninger, and Penisinger.

The surnames derived from the place name Pfennig may also appear with other prefixes, such as Van, Von, De, or Di. For example, the prefix Van could lead to VanPfennig, VanPennig, VanPenning, VanPennings, and VanPenis. Additionally, the prefix Von could lead to VonPfennig, VonPennig, VonPenning, VonPennings, and VonPenis.

Given the variety of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin, records of the Pfennings surname may turn up in a variety of ways. For example, a search of German parish registers may yield records of Pfennings, Pfennig, Pennig, Penning, Pennings, Penis, VanPfennig, VanPennig, VanPenning, VanPennings, VanPenis, VonPfennig, VonPennig, VonPenning, VonPennings, and VonPenis.

Famous people with the name Pfennings

• Heidi Pfennings: She is a German volleyball player, having won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
• Dale Pfennings: He was an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey center who played 11 seasons in the NHL for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, and Winnipeg Jets.
• Cindy Pfennings: She is a former American soccer goalkeeper, who played one season for the Atlanta Beat in the Women's United Soccer Association.
• Andrea Pfennings: She is a former American basketball player, who played the guard position and won the Womens' NCAA National Championship with the North Carolina Tar Heels in 1994.
• Rudolf Pfennings: He is a former German footballer who played as a goalkeeper, having spent the majority of his career playing for Arminia Bielefeld.
• Wayne Pfennings: He is a former Canadian speed skater, who won the gold medal in the 1500 metres event at the 1964 Winter Olympic Games.
• Claudia Pfennings: She is a German middle distance runner, who won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki.
• Katrina Pfennings: She is an American bodybuilder and professional wrestler who has competed in numerous bodybuilding competitions over the years.
• Paul Pfennings: He was an Austrian Professor of Chemistry and founder of the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Vienna.
• Mark Pfennings: He is an Australian basketball player, who currently plays for the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League.

Other surnames

PfenningPfenningschmidtPfenningwerth