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Pinnock History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Pinnock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cornwall, one of the original six "Celtic nations" is the homeland to the surname Pinnock. A revival of the Cornish language which began in the 9th century AD has begun. No doubt this was the language spoken by distant forebears of the Pinnock family. Though surnames became common during medieval times, English people were formerly known only by a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames were adopted in medieval England is fascinating. Many Cornish surnames 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. The name Pinnock is a local type of surname and the Pinnock family lived in Cornwall, in the parish of St. Pinnock. 1

"Although this parish has its name graced with the prefix of saint, no records were ever known to have preserved his history. The name is in general supposed to be secular, to be founded upon local circumstances, and to have no immediate reference either to its church or tutelary guardian. At a time when Cornwall teemed with saints both native and imported, it seemed dishonorable for any district to be without one. Where a real one could not be procured, an artificial one might easily be found to supply his place. But even this easy mode was still capable of improvement. The situation of St. Pinnock is in the deanery and hundred of West. It lies about eight miles east-north-east from Lostwithiel, and about four west-south-west from Liskeard." 2 3

Two sources claims the name could have been derived from the Middle English word "pinnock," meaning "hedge-sparrow." 4 5

Early Origins of the Pinnock family

The surname Pinnock was first found in the parish of St. Hilary, Cornwall where "the manor of Tregurtha or Truthwall, which extends from this into some of the neighbouring parishes, belonged to the family of Penneck at the commencement of the last century (1700's.)

By the devisees of this family, this manor was sold to William Carne, Esq. and the late Thomas Grylls, Esq.; and it is now the property of the former, and of the representatives of the latter. Tregembo belonged formerly to the family of Grosse, from whom it passed by successive sales to King and Penneck. It was purchased by the latter in the year 1684; after which it became the residence of this family. It is now occupied by the Rev. Humphrey Williams. From Charles Penneck, Esq. this property passed to his two sisters, one of whom was married to the Rev. William Borlase, of Castle Horneck, and the other to John Bingham Borlase, M. D." 2

Other early records of the family revealed Nicholas Pinnoch in the Pipe Rolls for Wiltshire in 1199 and Walter Pinnok in the Hundredorum Rolls for 1225, again in Wiltshire. 4

Another source notes the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also included William Pinnoc in Oxfordshire. 3 In Somerset, early records there show Roger Pynnock, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III. 6

Early History of the Pinnock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pinnock research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1782, 1810, 1811, 1813, 1817, 1843, 1850, 1855, 1859, 1870, 1876, 1879 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Pinnock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pinnock 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 Pinnock, Pincock, Pinnick, Pinock, Pinoke and others.

Early Notables of the Pinnock family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

William Pinnock (1782-1843), publisher and educational writer, baptised at Alton, Hampshire, on 3 Feb. 1782, was son of John and Sarah Pinnock, who were in humble circumstances. He began life as a sch...

Pinnock Ranking

In the United States, the name Pinnock is the 18,045^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Pinnock migration to the United States +

Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Pinnock were

Pinnock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Pinnock, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 8

Pinnock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Pinnock, who settled in Virginia in 1759

Pinnock migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Pinnock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Pinnock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Surrey" in 1838 9
Mr. Frederick Pinnock, English convict who was convicted in Newington, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
John Pinnock, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1848 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Pinnock (post 1700) +

Trevor David Pinnock CBE (b. 1946), English Gramophone Award winning conductor and harpsichordist, best known founder of the period-performance orchestra The English Concert
Danilo Agustin "J.R." Pinnock (b. 1983), American professional basketball player
Andrew Pinnock (b. 1980), American football player
Ann H. Pinnock, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 1972 12
Anna Pinnock, English three-time Academy Award nominated set director, most recently working on the 2012 movies Skyfall and Life of Pi, sister of Trevor Pinnock
James Pinnock (b. 1978), English footballer
William Pinnock (1782-1843), English publisher and educational writer, from Alton, Hampshire
Nicholas Andre Pinnock (b. 1973), British theatre, television, film actor and screenwriter
Arnold Pinnock (b. 1961), English-born, Canadian actor, best known for his role as Paul Greebie, in Life with Derek
Clark H Pinnock (b. 1937), Christian theologian, apologist and author
... (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.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SURRY/SURREY 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Surry-Surrey.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FORFARSHIRE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Forfarshire.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html