2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Parkkonen
A locational surname possibly derived from a Finnish place name related to parks or groves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Parkkonen. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parkkonen 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.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Parkkonen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkkonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parkkonen
The surname Parkkonen originated in Finland during the 16th century. It is derived from the Finnish word "parkko," which means "bark" or "tree bark." The suffix "-nen" is a common patronymic ending, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who worked with bark, such as a tanner or a bark collector.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parkkonen can be found in the parish records of Kuhmo, a municipality in eastern Finland, dating back to the late 16th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Kainuu and Northern Savonia, where the forestry industry was a significant part of the local economy.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Parkkonen surname appeared in various legal documents and property records in Finland. For instance, in 1683, a man named Matti Parkkonen was listed as a landowner in the village of Sotkamo, near the present-day border with Russia.
The first known person of historical significance with the surname Parkkonen was Jaakko Parkkonen (1703-1784), a Finnish farmer and military officer who fought in the Finnish War against Russia in the 1740s. Another notable figure was Antti Parkkonen (1824-1888), a prominent Finnish author and journalist who wrote extensively about Finnish folklore and rural life.
In the 19th century, the Parkkonen surname became more widespread as Finns began to migrate to other parts of the country and abroad. One of the earliest instances of the name outside Finland was recorded in the 1870s, when a family named Parkkonen settled in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States, attracted by employment opportunities in the mining and logging industries.
Other notable individuals with the surname Parkkonen include Vilho Parkkonen (1876-1959), a Finnish politician and trade unionist who served as a member of the Finnish Parliament; Aino Parkkonen (1905-1980), a Finnish writer and translator known for her children's books; and Juhani Parkkonen (1938-2008), a Finnish cross-country skier who won a bronze medal at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parkkonen
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkkonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Parkkonen 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 Parkkonen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parkkonen
Parkkonen 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,875 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 1,875 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,275 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 Parkkonen 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 | #145,220 | #146,495 | -0.9% |
| Count | 114 | 114 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parkkonen bearers went from 114 to 114 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,275 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #146,495.
FAQ
Parkkonen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parkkonen?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Parkkonen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Parkkonen?
Parkkonen ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Parkkonen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Parkkonen.
Has Parkkonen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parkkonen went from 114 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Parkkonen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkkonen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Parkkonen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parkkonen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Parkkonen (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 Parkkonen mean?
A locational surname possibly derived from a Finnish place name related to parks or groves. 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 Parkkonen (0.04 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 Parkkonen?
Find out how common the surname Parkkonen is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.