2000
#7,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,201
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Parke
An English toponymic surname derived from someone who lived near or worked in a park or enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,939 Americans carry the last name Parke. That puts it at #7,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parke 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 Parke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,398
Census rank
#7,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,307 bearers of the surname Parke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parke, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parke
The surname Parke originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "pearroc," meaning an enclosed area or park. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked on a park or enclosed land.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Parke or variations of it, such as Parcus and Parco. One of the earliest recorded instances is of a person named Robertus de Parco, who was listed as holding lands in Lincolnshire.
During the medieval period, the name Parke was predominantly found in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. Some notable individuals from this time include Sir Thomas de Parke, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, and John Parke, a wealthy merchant from York who lived in the 14th century.
As people began to migrate and settle in different regions, the name spread across England and Scotland. In the 16th century, there are records of a family with the surname Parke residing in Giggleswick, Yorkshire. One of their descendants, Mungo Parke (1561-1623), was a renowned scholar and educator who served as the headmaster of Skipton Grammar School.
Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Parke (1647-1718), an English politician and baronet from Nottinghamshire. He served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
In Scotland, the name Parke was particularly prevalent in the Borders region. One of the earliest recorded instances is of a family from Gillieshill, Berwickshire, in the 16th century. A prominent member of this family was Robert Parke (1612-1689), a Scottish minister and author.
Over the centuries, the surname Parke has also been spelled in various ways, such as Park, Parkes, and Parks. Some other notable individuals with this surname include Mungo Park (1771-1806), a Scottish explorer and one of the first Europeans to explore the River Niger in West Africa, and Rosa Parks (1913-2005), an American civil rights activist known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parke
Among Census respondents with the surname Parke, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Parke 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 Parke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 3,641
- Black or African American8.1% · 348
- Two or more races3.3% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parke
Parke 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
#7,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,759
+558 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Up 279 places
2020
#7,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,307
-452 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,310 | 4,201 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,031 | 4,759 | 1.61 | +558 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 279 places |
| 2020 | #7,463 | 4,307 | 1.44 | -452 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 432 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 Parke 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 | #7,031 | #7,463 | -6.1% |
| Count | 4,759 | 4,307 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.44 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parke bearers went from 4,759 to 4,307 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 432 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,031 to #7,463.
FAQ
Parke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parke?
Name Census estimates that about 4,939 living Americans carry the surname Parke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,398 residents.
How common is Parke?
Parke ranks #7,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,307 people with the surname Parke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,939), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Parke.
Has Parke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parke went from 4,759 recorded bearers to 4,307. That is a decrease of 452 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,031 to #7,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Parke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parke, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Parke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (3,641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Parke (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 Parke mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from someone who lived near or worked in a park or enclosure. 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 Parke (1.44 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 common is the surname Parke?
See how many Americans have the surname Parke on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.