2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Parko
A surname possibly derived from a Polish place name or referring to someone from a park-like area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Parko. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parko 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Parko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parko
The surname Parko has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 13th century. It is likely derived from the Old English word "pearroc," which means "a small enclosed area or park." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived near or been associated with a small enclosed area or parkland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a Robert Parke is listed. This spelling variation, "Parke," was a common early form of the name and is likely the root from which "Parko" later evolved.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various manorial records and court rolls across England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. For example, a John Parko was recorded in the Manorial Records of Waddington, Lincolnshire, in 1472.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Parko or its early variants. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as "Parcus" in Gloucestershire and "Parroc" in Yorkshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Parko throughout history include:
1. William Parko (c. 1550-1622), an English Protestant theologian and author who published several works on religious doctrine.
2. Elizabeth Parko (c. 1625-1690), a landowner and philanthropist from Yorkshire who endowed several charitable organizations in her will.
3. Thomas Parko (1702-1776), a British soldier who served in the Seven Years' War and later became a prominent landowner in Nottinghamshire.
4. Mary Parko (1789-1856), an early advocate for women's education and founder of the Parko Academy for Young Ladies in London.
5. James Parko (1835-1912), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to South America and published accounts of his travels and discoveries.
Throughout its history, the surname Parko has also been closely associated with various place names and locations, such as the village of Parko in Lincolnshire and the Parko Manor estate in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its connection to enclosed or parkland areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parko
Among Census respondents with the surname Parko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Parko 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 Parko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 102
- Black or African American3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parko
Parko 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-12 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,357 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-16 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 17,357 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 15,342 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 Parko 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 | #135,593 | #150,935 | -11.3% |
| Count | 124 | 108 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parko bearers went from 124 to 108 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 15,342 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #150,935.
FAQ
Parko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parko?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Parko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Parko?
Parko ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Parko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Parko.
Has Parko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parko went from 124 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Parko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parko, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Parko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Black (3.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Parko (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 Parko mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Polish place name or referring to someone from a park-like area. 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 Parko (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 are called Parko?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Parko on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.