2000
#8,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,805
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Parkin
An English occupational surname for someone who worked in or was associated with a park or enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,366 Americans carry the last name Parkin. That puts it at #8,324 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parkin 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 Parkin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,505
Census rank
#8,324
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,807 bearers of the surname Parkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8324th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parkin
The surname Parkin is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "pearroc," which means a small enclosed area or enclosure, typically used for keeping animals. The name is closely associated with the county of Yorkshire, where it first appeared in the 13th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Parkin can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where it is listed as "Perkyn." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have initially been a diminutive form of the personal name "Perk" or "Perkin," which was a nickname for Peter.
In the 16th century, the name Parkin began to appear in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1545, where it was spelled as "Parkyng." This spelling variation reflects the influence of the Old English word "pearroc" on the name's evolution.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Parkin was John Parkin (1567-1644), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Bunbury in Cheshire. Another notable figure was Captain John Parkin (1609-1677), an English explorer and navigator who played a significant role in the exploration of the Pacific Ocean.
In the 18th century, the Parkin name appeared in the records of the village of Thorp Arch in Yorkshire, where it was associated with a local family of landowners. One of the most prominent members of this family was William Parkin (1741-1817), a successful merchant and landowner who served as the High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1796.
Another notable individual with the surname Parkin was Sir John Parkin (1789-1865), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament for Southampton.
In the 19th century, the surname Parkin became more widely dispersed across England, with notable individuals such as George Robert Parkin (1846-1922), a Canadian historian and educator who served as the first secretary of the Rhodes Trust.
Throughout its history, the surname Parkin has been associated with various place names in Yorkshire, such as Parkin Lane, Parkin Cross, and Parkin Rakes, further reinforcing its connection to the region and its origins as a locative surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Parkin 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 Parkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 3,280
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 177
- Black or African American4.0% · 152
- Two or more races3.8% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parkin
Parkin 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
#8,241
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,022
+217 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 203 places
2020
#8,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,807
-215 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,038 | 3,805 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,241 | 4,022 | 1.36 | +217 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 203 places |
| 2020 | #8,324 | 3,807 | 1.27 | -215 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 83 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 Parkin 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 | #8,241 | #8,324 | -1.0% |
| Count | 4,022 | 3,807 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.27 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parkin bearers went from 4,022 to 3,807 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,241 to #8,324.
FAQ
Parkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parkin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,366 living Americans carry the surname Parkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,505 residents.
How common is Parkin?
Parkin ranks #8,324 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,807 people with the surname Parkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Parkin.
Has Parkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parkin went from 4,022 recorded bearers to 3,807. That is a decrease of 215 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,241 to #8,324.
What does the Census say about the background of Parkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (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 Parkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (3,280 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (4.6%), Black (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 Parkin (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 Parkin mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who worked in or was associated with 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 Parkin (1.27 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 Parkin?
You can see how common the surname Parkin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.