Pernell as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Pernell

What is the meaning of the name Pernell ?

The baby name Pernell is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced PER-nell (IPA: /pərˈnɛl/).

Pernell is English, French in Origin.

Pernell descends from the medieval Old French Pernel/Pernelle, a vernacular form of the Latin Petronilla, itself derived from the Roman family name Petronius. Through its association with St. Petronilla and the cognate Peter (Greek Petros), the name carries the sense of “rock” or steadfastness, though the Latin root is probably a family name rather than a literal noun.

In England and France between the 12th and 15th centuries, Pernel/Pernell appears frequently as a feminine given name; it later stabilized as a hereditary surname, yielding spellings such as Parnell, Purnell, and Pernell. In the modern era the surname migrated back into first-name use, especially in the United States, where actor Pernell Roberts (1928–2010) popularized it as a masculine choice. Variants and related forms include Parnell, Purnell, Pernel, Pernelle (French feminine), and the older Petronilla/Petronella; short forms like Nell have also occurred. Pernell today reads unisex, distinctive, and gently vintage.