2000
#51
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 324,246
First available Census row
Per 100,000 120.20
Common Last name
Parker
An occupational surname referring to a gamekeeper or custodian of a park.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 371,402 Americans carry the last name Parker. That puts it at #58 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 108.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 923 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parker surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Parker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
371K
1 in 923
Census rank
#58
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
108.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
324K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 323,880 bearers of the surname Parker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 108.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parker, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parker
The surname Parker has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "parc," meaning an enclosed area or park of land, which in turn comes from the Latin "parricus." This suggests that the original bearers of the name were either those who worked in or lived near a park or enclosed area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where a Robert le Parker is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, with references to individuals such as Walter le Parker in Oxfordshire and Robert le Parker in Buckinghamshire.
During the Middle Ages, the Parker surname was particularly prevalent in regions like Derbyshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. Some early spellings of the name included Parkere, Parkar, and Parkur, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common in those times.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain direct references to the Parker surname, as it primarily recorded landholders and placenames. However, it does mention places like Parker's Corner in Wiltshire and Parker's Farm in Hampshire, which may have influenced the eventual adoption of the surname in those areas.
Notable individuals with the Parker surname throughout history include:
1. Thomas Parker (c. 1595-1677), an English explorer and colonial leader who served as the first governor of the Province of Avalon in Newfoundland.
2. Sir Hyde Parker (1739-1807), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Battle of Copenhagen during the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Theodore Parker (1810-1860), an American transcendentalist and reforming minister who was a prominent abolitionist and advocate for women's rights.
4. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967), an American writer, poet, and satirist known for her witty and incisive writing, particularly in her contributions to The New Yorker magazine.
5. Charlie Parker (1920-1955), an influential American jazz saxophonist and composer, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the bebop style of jazz.
The Parker surname has a long and diverse history, originating from humble beginnings as a descriptor of those associated with enclosed areas or parks, eventually becoming a widespread surname across England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parker
Among Census respondents with the surname Parker, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Parker bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Parker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 214,954
- Black or African American24.1% · 78,061
- Two or more races4.7% · 15,221
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 10,679
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2,718
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2,247
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parker
Parker appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#56
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 336,221
+11,975 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 113.98
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#58
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 323,880
-12,341 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 108.36
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51 | 324,246 | 120.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #56 | 336,221 | 113.98 | +11,975 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #58 | 323,880 | 108.36 | -12,341 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 2 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Parker surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #56 | #58 | -3.6% |
| Count | 336,221 | 323,880 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 113.98 | 108.36 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parker bearers went from 336,221 to 323,880 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #56 to #58.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Parker
FAQ
Parker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parker?
Name Census estimates that about 371,402 living Americans carry the surname Parker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 923 residents.
How common is Parker?
Parker ranks #58 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 108.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 108 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 323,880 people with the surname Parker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (371,402), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 108.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 108.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 108 of them to have the surname Parker.
Has Parker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parker went from 336,221 recorded bearers to 323,880. That is a decrease of 12,341 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #56 to #58.
What does the Census say about the background of Parker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parker, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Parker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (214,954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (24.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Parker (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Parker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a gamekeeper or custodian of a park. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Parker (108.36 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Parker?
Find out how many people are called Parker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.