2000
#12,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,334
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Parkman
An occupational surname for a park keeper or someone who worked in or managed a park.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,595 Americans carry the last name Parkman. That puts it at #12,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parkman 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 Parkman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,083
Census rank
#12,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,263 bearers of the surname Parkman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkman, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parkman
The surname Parkman is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "pearroc" meaning an enclosed area or park, and "mann" meaning a man or keeper. The name originally referred to someone who lived near or worked as a park-keeper in a park or enclosed area.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Parkman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1275, which mentions a Robert le Parkman. The surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Essex from 1327, listing a John Parkman.
The name Parkman has been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Parkman's Wood in Oxfordshire, which was mentioned in a document from 1553. Additionally, there were variations in the spelling of the name, including Parkeman, Parckman, and Parckeman.
One notable individual with the surname Parkman was Francis Parkman (1823-1893), an American historian known for his work on the history of the French and English in North America. He wrote several influential books, including "The Oregon Trail" and "The Conspiracy of Pontiac."
Another prominent figure was Samuel Parkman (1695-1768), a merchant and politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as a selectman and representative in the Massachusetts General Court.
In the 17th century, Edward Parkman (1618-1688) was a early settler in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and became a freeman in 1639.
John Parkman (1711-1788) was a prominent Bostonian and a member of the Sons of Liberty, a revolutionary group that protested against British rule in the American colonies.
George Parkman (1790-1849) was a notable American horticulturist and philanthropist who donated land and funds to establish what is now known as the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Parkman, which has its roots in the Old English language and was associated with those who lived near or worked in parks or enclosed areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parkman
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkman, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Parkman 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 Parkman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.8% · 1,375
- Black or African American30.3% · 685
- Two or more races5.1% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parkman
Parkman 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
#11,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,603
+269 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 240 places
2020
#12,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,263
-340 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 978 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,238 | 2,334 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,998 | 2,603 | 0.88 | +269 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 240 places |
| 2020 | #12,976 | 2,263 | 0.76 | -340 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 978 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 Parkman 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 | #11,998 | #12,976 | -8.2% |
| Count | 2,603 | 2,263 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.76 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parkman bearers went from 2,603 to 2,263 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 978 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,998 to #12,976.
FAQ
Parkman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parkman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,595 living Americans carry the surname Parkman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,083 residents.
How common is Parkman?
Parkman ranks #12,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,263 people with the surname Parkman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,595), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Parkman.
Has Parkman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parkman went from 2,603 recorded bearers to 2,263. That is a decrease of 340 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,998 to #12,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Parkman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parkman, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Black (30.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Parkman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.8% (1,375 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parkman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.8%), Black (30.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Parkman (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 Parkman mean?
An occupational surname for a park keeper or someone who worked in 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 Parkman (0.76 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 Parkman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.