2000
#5,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,829
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.16
Rare Last name
Parton
A surname of French origin derived from the Old French word "pardon", meaning a place of pilgrimage or sanctuary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,235 Americans carry the last name Parton. That puts it at #6,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,973 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parton 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 Parton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 54,973
Census rank
#6,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,437 bearers of the surname Parton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parton
The surname Parton is an English habitational name derived from a place named Parton, which is now found in Cumbria, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Yorkshire. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "pearl" and "tun," meaning a farm where pearls were found or traded. The name can be traced back to the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1195, where a certain Willelmus de Parton is mentioned. In the Curia Regis Rolls of 1221, there is a reference to a Robert de Parton in Yorkshire.
The Parton surname is also mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list several individuals bearing this name in various counties, such as Willelmus de Parton in Gloucestershire and Robertus de Parton in Derbyshire.
During the 13th century, the name was also recorded in the Testa de Nevill, an early English census document. The entry for Kirkcudbrightshire mentions a place called "Parton" held by the Earl of Dunbar.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Parton was Sir William Parton, a member of the English Parliament who represented Gloucestershire in 1328 and 1330.
In the 16th century, the Parton family was well-established in Cumbria, with several members holding positions of prominence. John Parton (1508-1582) was a prominent landowner and served as the High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1566.
Another notable figure was Reverend Richard Parton (1636-1702), an English clergyman and author from Cumbria, who wrote several religious works, including "The Christian's Manual" and "The Evangelical Minister's Directory."
In the 18th century, William Parton (1719-1796) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in Cumbria and Yorkshire.
The 19th century saw the birth of Sir John Parton (1828-1901), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Natal, South Africa, from 1880 to 1893.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Parton is the American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, born in 1946, who has had a remarkable career spanning over six decades and has won numerous awards, including eight Grammy Awards and two Academy Award nominations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parton
Among Census respondents with the surname Parton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Parton 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 Parton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 4,828
- Two or more races4.6% · 250
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 159
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 108
- Black or African American1.2% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parton
Parton 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
#5,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,039
+210 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 252 places
2020
#6,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,437
-602 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 330 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,487 | 5,829 | 2.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,739 | 6,039 | 2.05 | +210 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 252 places |
| 2020 | #6,069 | 5,437 | 1.82 | -602 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 330 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 Parton 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 | #5,739 | #6,069 | -5.8% |
| Count | 6,039 | 5,437 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.82 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parton bearers went from 6,039 to 5,437 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 330 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,739 to #6,069.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Parton
FAQ
Parton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parton?
Name Census estimates that about 6,235 living Americans carry the surname Parton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,973 residents.
How common is Parton?
Parton ranks #6,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,437 people with the surname Parton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,235), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Parton.
Has Parton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parton went from 6,039 recorded bearers to 5,437. That is a decrease of 602 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,739 to #6,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Parton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parton, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Parton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (4,828 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Parton (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 Parton mean?
A surname of French origin derived from the Old French word "pardon", meaning a place of pilgrimage or sanctuary. 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 Parton (1.82 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 share the surname Parton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.