Pernell is an English surname, a variant spelling of Parnell, a matronymic name of Petronilla, a diminutive of Petronia, the feminine form of Petronius, a Roman family name of uncertain etymology though possibly derived from Latin petro, petronis meaning “rustic; yokel; young ram”. Petronius has also been associated with Ancient Greek petros meaning “rock; stone” but that seems rather shaky. It seems more likely that the name derives from an Oscan or Etruscan; if the former it probably means “four” or “fourth”, making it the equivalent of Latin quartus.
Origin: Proto-Indo-European, possibly Oscan or Etruscan
Variants:
- Pernel (English)
- Parnell (English)
- Parnel (English)
Pernell doesn’t sound bad, although I like the sound of Swedish Pernilla much better, it’s so charming in my opinion.
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