2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Parken
An English surname derived from the Old English words meaning "park keeper" or "keeper of an enclosed area of land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Parken. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parken 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 Parken with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Parken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parken, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parken
The surname Parken has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name such as Parken, a small village in Lancashire. The name may have originated from the Old English words "pearroc," meaning a small enclosed area, and "ing," a common suffix denoting a place or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Parken can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, which mention a William de Parken. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also make reference to a John de Parken in Oxfordshire. These early records suggest that the name was well-established in various parts of England by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Parken surname appeared in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John de Parken was listed in 1322. This record indicates that the name may have been associated with landowners or tenant farmers in the region.
The Parken surname has also been linked to the village of Parkend in Gloucestershire, which was formerly known as Parken. This connection is evidenced by the mention of a Thomas de Parken in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1327.
Notable individuals with the surname Parken include:
1. Robert Parken (c. 1540-1612), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Balliol College, Oxford.
2. William Parken (1638-1701), an English mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of the Gregorian calendar.
3. Elizabeth Parken (1684-1733), a British writer and poet who published several works under the pseudonym "Eliza."
4. John Parken (1745-1825), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament.
5. Thomas Parken (1823-1892), a British industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Parken Steel Company in Sheffield.
While the Parken surname may have evolved from various place names and local references across England, its origins can be traced back to the late 12th century, with a concentration of early records found in the northern and western regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parken
Among Census respondents with the surname Parken, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Parken 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 Parken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 89
- Black or African American4.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parken
Parken 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,791 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-9 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,641 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 16,791 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 3,641 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 Parken 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 | #152,628 | #156,269 | -2.4% |
| Count | 107 | 98 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parken bearers went from 107 to 98 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 3,641 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #156,269.
FAQ
Parken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parken?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Parken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Parken?
Parken ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 98 people with the surname Parken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Parken.
Has Parken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parken went from 107 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Parken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parken, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Parken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Black (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Parken (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 Parken mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English words meaning "park keeper" or "keeper of an enclosed area of land". 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 Parken (0.03 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 are called Parken?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Parken on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.