2000
#13,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,999
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Parkerson
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper or manager of a park or enclosed forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,118 Americans carry the last name Parkerson. That puts it at #15,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parkerson 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 Parkerson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,829
Census rank
#15,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,847 bearers of the surname Parkerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parkerson
The surname Parkerson is of English origin, with its roots dating back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the old English words "parke" and "son," which together mean "son of the park keeper." This name likely originated in areas where royal or noble families maintained large estates with parks and employed individuals to oversee and maintain these grounds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parkerson can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Lewisham, Kent, where a certain John Parkerson was baptized in 1598. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 16th century in the southern regions of England.
In the early 17th century, the Parkerson name appears in various legal documents and court records, particularly in the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. Notable examples include a Richard Parkerson, who was listed as a landowner in the Kent Feet of Fines from 1623, and a William Parkerson, who was involved in a property dispute in the Sussex Assize Rolls of 1638.
As the name spread across England, variations in spelling emerged, such as Parkison, Parkinson, and Perkerson. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of record-keeping during that era.
One of the earliest prominent figures bearing the Parkerson name was Sir John Parkerson (1612-1678), a English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Lichfield during the reign of King Charles II. He was known for his staunch support of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
Another notable individual was Thomas Parkerson (1685-1752), a renowned architect from Yorkshire who contributed to the design and construction of several grand country houses in the Georgian style, including Wentworth Woodhouse and Harewood House.
In the 19th century, the Parkerson name gained recognition through the works of the poet and essayist Elizabeth Parkerson (1822-1891), whose collection of romantic verses and nature-inspired writings garnered critical acclaim during the Victorian era.
Another distinguished figure was Sir Henry Parkerson (1848-1923), a British naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the mapping and charting of the Northwest Passage.
The Parkerson family name also has a connection to the world of sports, with the celebrated English cricketer Alfred Parkerson (1878-1946) being one of the most notable bearers of the name. He played for the Yorkshire County Cricket Club and was regarded as one of the finest all-rounders of his time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parkerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Parkerson 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 Parkerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 1,546
- Black or African American5.7% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 73
- Two or more races3.7% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parkerson
Parkerson 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
#14,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,103
+104 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 389 places
2020
#15,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,847
-256 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,044 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,863 | 1,999 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,252 | 2,103 | 0.71 | +104 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 389 places |
| 2020 | #15,296 | 1,847 | 0.62 | -256 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 1,044 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 Parkerson 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 | #14,252 | #15,296 | -7.3% |
| Count | 2,103 | 1,847 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.62 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parkerson bearers went from 2,103 to 1,847 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 1,044 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,252 to #15,296.
FAQ
Parkerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parkerson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,118 living Americans carry the surname Parkerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,829 residents.
How common is Parkerson?
Parkerson ranks #15,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,847 people with the surname Parkerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Parkerson.
Has Parkerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parkerson went from 2,103 recorded bearers to 1,847. That is a decrease of 256 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,252 to #15,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Parkerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Parkerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (1,546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parkerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (5.7%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Parkerson (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 Parkerson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper or manager of a park or enclosed forest. 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 Parkerson (0.62 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 Parkerson?
If you just want to know how common the surname Parkerson is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.