# The Big Bang Theory: What Will Penny's Last Name Be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817 "2011-11-23T00:16:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/41 "2011-11-23T17:22:49Z")
I think that it has to be mundane otherwise they are going to have to explain why no jokes have ever been made. If Sci-Fi or science related, Sheldon would have had to crack, “unlike our local _Einstein_”. If punny like money, Raj or Howard would have made the funny. ---
**Author:** ![heathen\_earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/13edae/32.png) [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/42 "2011-11-23T17:23:33Z")
I don’t know who or what Penny Lane is. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/43 "2011-11-23T17:28:14Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > I don’t know who or what Penny Lane is. Seriously. Beatles song ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/44 "2011-11-23T17:29:34Z")
It’s a song by the Beatles, originally a Double A Side with Strawberry Fields Forever. (Both songs are named for locations near John’s home in Liverpool.) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/45 "2011-11-23T17:29:56Z")
Springfield. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/46 "2011-11-23T17:33:05Z")
There is also the possiblity that the guys do not know her real name. She is an actress and could be going by a stage name for SAG/Equity reasons. They may know her as Penny \ and find out she is really \. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/47 "2011-11-23T18:10:02Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > Penny Lane, it’s got to be Penny Lane. That’s my guess too. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/48 "2011-11-23T18:13:06Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Springfield. Simpson? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/49 "2011-11-23T18:26:53Z")
We’ll learn that Penny _ **is** _ her last name, but everybody including her family calls her that. Her first is Wheat, named after her father’s cash crop. Or, her last name will be Senvy or some other play on ‘penis’. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/50 "2011-11-23T18:56:37Z")
Middle name Rachel, Last name Quaid. Penny R Quaid, or Penny Arcade ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/51 "2011-11-23T19:04:11Z")
Since her face is overly midwestern\*, suggesting Scandanavian or Germanic ancestry, I’m guessing it’ll be something like Anderson or Schneider. \*S02E03, The Barbarian Sublimation, definitely in the top 5 best episodes ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/52 "2011-11-23T21:19:46Z")
In a world of true comic book fans, it _must_ start with “P”. Perhaps “Pascal”? (You have to rule out “Ptolemy”, unfortunately.) Leonard would surely know it. He picks up her mail and such all the time. That might limit the more famous “P” geek names. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/53 "2011-11-24T01:24:41Z")
Lincoln ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/54 "2011-11-24T02:26:03Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > It’s a song by the Beatles, originally a Double A Side with Strawberry Fields Forever. > > (Both songs are named for locations near John’s home in Liverpool.) Penny Lane is a Paul song though. And yeah, although Sheldon might not be familiar with the hits of The Beatles, and maybe not Raj (being Indian), I am sure Leonard and certainly Howard would know them. So no, not Lane. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/55 "2011-11-24T03:41:22Z")
Penny Parker, after Teri Hatcher’s recurring character on MacGyver. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/56 "2011-11-24T14:03:17Z")
> [@Saltire](#): > > Penny Parker, after Teri Hatcher’s recurring character on MacGyver. Would she have a brother named “Peter”? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/57 "2011-11-24T15:12:29Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Penny Lane is a Paul song though. And the name was inspired by a location near John’s place - these two points are not contradictory. > [@](#): > > And yeah, although Sheldon might not be familiar with the hits of The Beatles, and maybe not Raj (being Indian), I am sure Leonard and certainly Howard would know them. Again - Leonard didn’t know _Tweety Bird_, one of the major characters in one of his particular fields of geekery (cartoons and comics), and he’s demonstrated a complete lack of knowledge of popular music (or unpopular music). Of the two, it’s Tweety Bird that he’d be more likely to know, and yet, he doesn’t. It’s totally within the bounds of his character to not know the Beatles. We haven’t seen any particularly odd limits to Howard’s knowledge, but he’s in his mid-late 20s, and has never shown any particular interest in music, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t know them any more than heathen earthling did. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/58 "2011-11-25T01:23:49Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > In a world of true comic book fans, it _must_ start with “P”. Pasta? These’s a huge sparsely populated county in Nebraska named “Cherry”… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/59 "2011-11-25T01:57:48Z")
Pitstop. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817/60 "2011-11-25T03:30:30Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Pitstop. 😃 You win. (I also had no idea we didn’t know Penny’s last name.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-big-bang-theory-what-will-pennys-last-name-be/603817.md?page=4)