Origins of surname Penwell in Devon

[Bob Topley]

My wife's ancestor was born about 1800 and came from Yealmpton Devon. We were wondering what is the origins of Penwell and how was the name derived to its present spelling Penwell?

[Geoffers]

It sounds like a locative surname.
The surname profiler
http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/default.aspx
indicates it most frequently occurs in a small area.

I believe Pen means 'hill' or 'head of'
I don't know whether the well part is from the English or Gaelic.

[Bob Topley]

Thank you for your prompt response. You've established part of the name and we'll checkout the site you suggested.

[Peter Goodey]

My guess is that it's a metronymic and a derivative of the personal name Peronel (once popular, now long forgotten) which also spawned Parnall, Parnell, Parnwell, Pennell, Penn etc

Another possibility might be that it derived from a diminutive of Payne, Paganel which led to Pannell, Pennell etc.

The above examples also illustrate the way in which what appears to be one surname may actually have derived from more than one origin.

The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. Reading the standard reference books will give you a feel for the possibilities but the only way to tell for sure is to trace your family line back to its origins, an impossible task for most people.

[Bob Topley]

Thank you Peter. I was driving past a hospital named Headwaters Hospital. It made me think "head of" Pen and "waterwell" well, Penwell. I'm finding I'm looking at lots of places and noting phrases and seeing how they relate to surnames, it's fun.