Surname Fennen - Meaning and Origin
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Fennen: What does the surname Fennen mean?
The last name Fennen is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is derived from the Old English given name Fenne, believed to be a diminutive of Finnian, which is derived from the Old Irish name Finn. The name itself means ‘white's.’
This surname was likely chosen for a person who had a fair complexion, light color of hair, or as a sign of strength and courage; some of the earliest recorded occurrences of this name date back to the late 12th century. It can be found throughout Europe as a surname, with variations such as Fennan, Finne, Fenney, Fennell, and Fennem.
The surname was likely adopted by families of various ancestries as they moved to different countries. Over time, the spelling and pronunciation of the name changed according to the regional variation of language and dialect.
It is common to find people with the surname of Fennen living in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries. They are typically found in regions of England with the heaviest concentrations of this surname occuring in Salford, and Nottinghamshire.
Fennen is considered a relatively rare surname, as it is was not very widely adopted until more recently. Today, there are still many people who bear this surname and have contributed to the heritage and culture of the many countries they inhabit.
Order DNA origin analysisFennen: Where does the name Fennen come from?
Today, the last name Fennen is commonly found in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and parts of the United States. Fennen is an anglicized spelling of van Fenne, the original Dutch variant of the name.
Fennen is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Fenne". The given name Fenne or Fenny was likely a variant form of Fenwick, an English place name first appearing in the late 9th century, derived from Old English fenne (marsh) and wic (farm).
In the United States, the last name Fennen is most common in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and California. States along the East Coast, such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Virginia, are also home to Fennen families. The increased arrival of Dutch immigrants in the seventeenth century also accounts for the popularity of the Fennen surname in America today.
In Europe, Fennen is mostly found in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark. In these countries, the name often appears as Van Fenne or van Fenne. In some areas of the Netherlands, the name has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages.
Variations of the surname Fennen
The surname Fennen is derived from the Old German pheonetic personal name Feno. It is also sometimes recorded as Fenen, Fenin, Finen, and Fenon. An alternate spelling is Fannon, which was prevalent in certain areas of Ireland. In Scotland, Fennen is sometimes recorded as Fenham. Variants of the surname found in other languages include Fenne (Dutch), Fenner (German), Fennejs (Dutch), Fenri (Dutch/German), Feny (Hungarian), and Fenyo (Hungarian).
Fennen can also be a habitational name indicating someone from one of the various places in Scotland bearing the name Fenham. These places, derived from Old English words meaning 'marsh land at the edge of a river', were located in the counties of Fife, Lanarkshire, and Midlothian.
In Ireland, a variant of Fennen is Fennessy. This variant is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic O'Fionnghusa, which derives from the personal name Fionnghus meaning 'fair-choice' or 'fair-pledge'. The root of this name is the same as the personal name Ennis.
In the United States, variants of the surname Fennen include Fennel, Fennell, Fennelll, Fennin, Fenney, Fennimore, and Feno.
Finally, Fennen can also be a variant of the British Fenton, which was derived from an Old English personal name, Fintan.
Famous people with the name Fennen
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