Find out how popular the last name Park is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Park.

Park, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Park surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Park in America

Park is the 289th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Park surname appeared 106,696 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 36 people would have the surname Park.

We can also compare 2010 data for Park to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Park

The surname Park is of English origin and derived from the Old English "pearroc" meaning an enclosed area or park-like space, often used for hunting or keeping animals. The name first emerged in the 12th century and was initially used to identify individuals who lived near or worked on such enclosed estates or parks.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Park can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "de Parco." This Latin form translates to "of the park," indicating an association with a specific enclosed area or park. Similarly, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John del Park in Norfolk, reinforcing the connection to an enclosed space.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name is not explicitly recorded, but there are references to various parks and enclosed areas, suggesting that the surname could have emerged from these locations. One such example is the mention of "Herluin's Park" in Sussex, which could have been the origin of the surname for individuals associated with that particular park.

During the medieval period, the surname Park was particularly prevalent in northern England, particularly in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. This reflects the historical significance of hunting parks and enclosed areas in these regions, where many noble families and landowners maintained such spaces.

Notable historical figures with the surname Park include:

1. Mungo Park (1771-1806), a Scottish explorer who undertook two expeditions to explore the course of the Niger River in West Africa.
2. Robert Park (1520-1585), a Scottish theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
3. William Park (1472-1539), an English scholar and clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Stow in Lincolnshire.
4. Andrew Park (1807-1863), a Scottish-born American inventor and businessman who developed an improved method for manufacturing papermaking machinery.
5. Rosa Parks (1913-2005), an African American civil rights activist known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott, which sparked the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

In addition to these individuals, the surname Park has been associated with various place names and locations throughout history, such as Parktown in South Africa, Parkville in Australia, and numerous parks and townships bearing the name across the United Kingdom and North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Park

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Park.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Park was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Park has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Park was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Park, please contact us.

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