2000
#10,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,719
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Parkes
Derived from a place name meaning "park" or "enclosure," likely referring to someone who lived near or managed a park.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,515 Americans carry the last name Parkes. That puts it at #10,032 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,512 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parkes 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 Parkes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,512
Census rank
#10,032
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,065 bearers of the surname Parkes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10032nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parkes
The surname Parkes originated in England, deriving from various place names in the country. The earliest forms of the name were derived from the Old English words "pearroc" meaning "park" or "enclosed space" and "hierde" meaning "herdsman" or "keeper." This suggests that the original bearers of the surname were those employed as park-keepers or those residing near a park or enclosed area.
The name Parkes can be traced back to the 11th century, with early recorded instances of the surname appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086. One notable entry includes a Richard Parkes, who held lands in Lincolnshire during the Norman conquest. Additionally, the surname has various spellings in historical records, such as Parke, Parkes, and Parks.
In the 13th century, the name was well-established in Cheshire and Lancashire, with records showing families bearing the name in these regions. One notable figure from this period was Sir John Parkes (c. 1235-1295), a knight and landowner in Cheshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Parkes surname spread across England, with families establishing themselves in various counties. One prominent individual was Sir Thomas Parkes (1560-1633), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London, who served as Lord Mayor of the city in 1620.
In the 18th century, the Parkes name continued to flourish, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. These included Thomas Parkes (1671-1730), a renowned architect responsible for designing several buildings in London, and Sir Henry Parkes (1815-1896), a prominent Australian statesman and politician, often referred to as the "Father of Federation."
Other notable individuals with the Parkes surname include Walter Parkes (1865-1935), an English cricketer who played for Middlesex and England, and Fanny Parkes (1794-1875), a British writer and travel writer who documented her experiences in India.
The Parkes surname has been widely dispersed across various parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong British influence, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. However, its roots can be traced back to England, where it originated from various place names and occupational titles related to park-keeping or residing near enclosed areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parkes
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Parkes 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 Parkes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.5% · 2,193
- Black or African American20.4% · 626
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 117
- Two or more races3.2% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parkes
Parkes 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
#9,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,246
+527 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 830 places
2020
#10,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,065
-181 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,770 | 2,719 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,940 | 3,246 | 1.10 | +527 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 830 places |
| 2020 | #10,032 | 3,065 | 1.03 | -181 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 92 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 Parkes 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 | #9,940 | #10,032 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,246 | 3,065 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.03 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parkes bearers went from 3,246 to 3,065 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,940 to #10,032.
FAQ
Parkes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parkes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,515 living Americans carry the surname Parkes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,512 residents.
How common is Parkes?
Parkes ranks #10,032 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 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 3,065 people with the surname Parkes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,515), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 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 Parkes.
Has Parkes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parkes went from 3,246 recorded bearers to 3,065. That is a decrease of 181 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,940 to #10,032.
What does the Census say about the background of Parkes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkes, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Parkes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.5% (2,193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parkes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.5%), Black (20.4%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Parkes (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 Parkes mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "park" or "enclosure," likely referring to someone who lived near or managed a park. 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 Parkes (1.03 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 have the surname Parkes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.