English, from Greek "weaver" (Whyte) or possibly "duck" (ONC). The 1841 Census of Aberdeenshire has the very rare spelling variations Penelopie and Penelopy.
Note: the synonym Penuel [q.v.] is a common variation found in Scottish Parish Records. It is believed by some to be a clerical error but is so widespread that we feel this is very unlikely. It may have been used both as a variant and as a pet name.
A correspondent [GD2] points out that Penny could equally be a pet name for Penuel as for Penelope. |
