Penn 1 is an English surname with topographic origins, ultimately derived from the Brythonic word penn meaning "hilltop, head" or "headland". This name was adopted from various place names in England that incorporated the element, referring to settlements situated on hills or promontories.
The name Penn is also famously associated with Pennsylvania Station in New York City, which shares the “Penn” element, though the surname predates this connection. One notable landmark, Penn 1 (originally One Penn Plaza and stylized as PENN 1), is a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, located between 33rd Street and 34th Street, west of Seventh Avenue, adjacent to Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden. Designed by Kahn & Jacobs and completed in 1972, the building reaches 750 feet (230 m) with 57 floors and is assigned its own ZIP Code, 10119. While this building shares the same name element, it is not a direct source of the surname, which predates the building by centuries.
The surname Penn is most common in South East England, particularly counties like Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and West Sussex, where place names containing the Brythonic element penn are concentrated.
- Meaning: Derived from Brythonic penn meaning “hilltop, head”
- Origin: English
- Type: Surname (topographic/locational)
- Usage regions: United Kingdom, especially South East England