Meanings below have been “Googled”. My surname (somewhat of a “given” as my family name) I was told might be of French origin with a connection to the Norman conquest of 1066 and / or an area (packet) of land [such as the derivation of Fivepenny in the Ness area of Lewis]. My first name of Norman is because my great uncle Norman saved my mother and her sister when RMS Drina was torpedoed in WW 1. My father was a “James” and I believe I may be called not only after him but also his grandfather.
Penny name – meaning and history:- English (also present in Ireland): from Middle English peni, peny ‘penny’, applied as a nickname, possibly for a person of some substance or for a tenant who paid a rent of one penny. This was the common Germanic unit of value when money was still an unusual phenomenon. It was the only unit of coinage in England until the early 14th century, when the groat and the gold noble were introduced, and was a silver coin of considerable value. There is some evidence that the word was used in Old English times as a byname.
Norman name – meaning and history:- Tormod in Scottish Gaelic: traditional name, originally a borrowing of the Old Norse personal name órmóðr, composed of the name of the god Thor (órr) + Old Norse móðr mind, courage. Variant: Tormailt (a dialectal form).
James name – meaning and history:- Some choice, or several backgrounds!
1) The name James was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the personal name Jacob, the Latin Jacobus via the Late Latin Jacomus. The Latin Jacobus is derived from the Hebrew name Yaakov which is traditionally interpreted as coming from the Hebrew akev, which means heel.
2) The name James is of Hebrew origin. The meaning of James is “supplanter“. James is generally used as a boy’s name.
3) New Testament name of two of Christ’s disciples (one his brother?)
Norman J Penny - Family 