Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Penekestone 1212 RBE

• Pen(c)keston, Pen(c)kiston, -ton 1208 Cur 1224 Ipm 1230 Woll 1236 Fees 1422 Cl

• Pynkeston 1283 Pat 1375 WollCh 1391 Pat 1420 Woll

• Pynkeston als Pynxton 1597 Potter

• Pink(e)ston 1577 DbAi

• Pink(e)ston als Pinxton 1593 FF

Etymology

Perhaps 'Penec's farm', v. tūn ; cf. Penhurst (PN Sx 476). This unrecorded OE pers.n. would be a regular diminutive of an OE  *Pena , itself unrecorded but a possible name from OE  Penweald or Penwealh . An argument of this kind would appear to be preferable to Ekwall's suggestion (DEPN) that the first part of the name is identical with Penketh (PN La 106), a Brit compound of words which appear in W  as pen coed 'end of the wood'.