This unusual name is of early medieval Welsh origin. It is one of the patronymic forms of the male personal name "Henry", composed of the Welsh patronymic prefix "ap" meaning son of, and fused with "Henry". This was later contracted to Penry and Pendry and thence Pendred or even Pindred. The given name of "Henry" was introduced into England by the Norman-French after the famous Conquest of 1066 and in the form "Henri". This itself was derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "hemi - ric" to give a literal if not actual meaning of "home-power". Being the name of at least eight kings, it is not surprising that it was a very popular name throughout the British Isles in the Middle Ages and generated a wide variety of surnames. In this case early examples include Mary Pendred who married Thomas Broomefield at St. Gregory's by St. Paul, city of London, on the 2nd July 1581, whilst Edward Pendrid married Elinor Wlicox at St Mary's Putney, on September 7th 1699. Robert Pendred was an early emigrant to the new World, leaving London on the ship "Peter Bonaventure", bound for the Barbadoes, in 1635. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

© Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 - 2024