An English surname, Pennington comes from the Old English terms of ‘pening’ and ‘tun’ which refers to the tax due on a settlement or farmland. The spelling variation for Pennington is Penington. In England the Pennington surname originated in Lancashire. An original spelling was Pennington. It spread to Cumbria and Hampshire then across to most of England. In Scotland the main concentration of those with the Pennington name is in Lanarkshire and Midlothian counties. Within the United States the Pennington family name originated in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas. Famous: Barbara Pennington (singer), Jack Pennington (race car driver), Terrance Pennington (professional football player), Parker Pennington (champion figure skater), Joe Pennington (musician), Tygert ‘Ty’ B. Pennington (television host and carpenter for home makeovers), Edward J. Pennington (inventor of stirling and ignition engines along with the motorcycle), Brad Pennington (professional baseball player).