English and Scottish from Hebrew "God's face"; OT 1 Chronicles 4:4 & 8:25. The Biblical references are only to the male name - with earlier references to a place - but in Scotland it is more usually a female name [see Penuel (F)].

A correspondent [HM²] notes that Penuel was common amongst tin miners from Cornwall and Devon in south-west England who emigrated to Canada - all male.