Peng Surname History

Origins Available:
England

The illustrious surname Peng finds its origin in the rocky, sea swept coastal area of southwestern England known as Cornwall. Although surnames were fairly widespread in medieval England, people were originally known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted is extremely interesting. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Lords and their tenants often became known by the name of the feudal territory they owned or lived on. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use. Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Peng is a local type of surname and the Peng family lived in Cornwall, at the manor of Pengelly. The family claim descent from "an estate in the parish of St. Neot in Cornwall, anciently the property of the family." 1 2 Literally the place name means "the head of the grove," from "pen-gilly, -gelly. 3

"There is a hamlet of the name in St. Teath. The Pengellys are now mostly found around Penzance, and the Pengillys around Helston." 4

Early Origins of the Peng family

The surname Peng was first found in Cornwall at Pengelly (Cornish: Penn-gelli), a hamlet now part of the village of Delabole. 5

The first record of the family was found here: John (de) Pengelly in 1297. 6

"Higher Hampt, [in the parish of Stoke-Climsland, Cornwall] belonged to the family of Pengelly, and afterwards to that of Harrison, is now the property and residence of Mr. William Mason." 7

Early History of the Peng family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peng research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1642, 1650, 1675, 1683, 1696, 1712 and 1730 are included under the topic Early Peng History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peng Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Pengelly, Pengley, Pengelley and others.

Early Notables of the Peng family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Pengelly (fl. c.1650-1696), a wealthy British merchant who traded with the Eastern Mediterranean and the Atlantic Seaboard

Peng Ranking

In the United States, the name Peng is the 12,164^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Peng family

An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Peng: Richard Pengelly settled in Philadelphia in 1858; John Pengley settled in Barstable Massachusetts in 1822.

Contemporary Notables of the name Peng (post 1700) +

Huaying Peng, Taiwan independence activist during 1920s
Zhen Peng, leading member of the Communist Party of China
Xiuwen Peng, Chinese conductor and composer
Wan-ru Peng, Taiwanese politician and feminist
Shuai Peng, Chinese professional tennis player
Ming-min Peng, Taiwan independence activist
Dehuai Peng, the Communist Party of China military leader
Chong Peng, former Chinese politburo member
Cheng-min Peng, Taiwanese baseball player
Bo Peng, Olympic diving medalist
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/