Named by New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee (NZ-APC) in 1961 after Lieutenant Harry Pennell, Royal Navy, commander of the Terra Nova, the expedition ship of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910–13.
Pennell engaged in oceanographic work in the Ross Sea during this period.
In February 1911 he sailed along this coast in exploration and an endeavor to land the Northern Party led by Lieutenant Victor Campbell.
Major features of the coast include the 250-kilometer long Rennick Glacier (one of Antarctica's largest glaciers), the Anare Mountains, and the northern ends of the Bowers and Admiralty mountain ranges.
This article incorporates public domain material from "Pennell Coast".