2000
#322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 32.01
Uncommon Last name
Parks
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near an enclosed public garden or field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 96,700 Americans carry the last name Parks. That puts it at #368 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 28.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,545 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parks 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 Parks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
97K
1 in 3,545
Census rank
#368
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
28.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
84K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 84,327 bearers of the surname Parks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 28.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 368th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parks, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parks
The surname PARKS is an English habitational name derived from the Old English word 'pearroc' meaning an enclosed area or park. It originated in regions of England where deer parks were prevalent, such as Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire.
The earliest known record of the surname PARKS dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where it appears as 'de Parco'. This Latin form translates to 'of the park', indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a deer park.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several places with the word 'park' or 'parcus' in their names, suggesting that the surname may have derived from these locations. Some examples include Parcus Regis (King's Park) in Gloucestershire and Parcus de Windresore (Windsor Park) in Berkshire.
During the medieval period, the PARKS surname was often associated with individuals who held positions related to the management or maintenance of royal or noble parks and hunting grounds. One notable example is Sir William PARKS (c. 1472-1539), who served as the Master of the Game and Keeper of the Park at Windsor Castle under King Henry VIII.
In the 16th century, the surname PARKS appeared in various spellings, such as Parkes, Parke, and Parck. One prominent figure from this era was Reynolde PARKS (c. 1510-1579), a Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions under Queen Mary I.
Other notable individuals with the PARKS surname include:
1. Gordon PARKS (1912-2006), an American photographer, filmmaker, and writer known for his groundbreaking work in documenting the Civil Rights Movement.
2. Rosa PARKS (1913-2005), an African American civil rights activist famous for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
3. Walter PARKS (1863-1915), an English cricketer who played for Surrey and captained the England national team.
4. Henry Flagler PARKS (1842-1909), an American businessman and co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, working alongside John D. Rockefeller.
5. William PARKS (c. 1635-1696), an English colonist and one of the founders of the Woodbridge Township in New Jersey, United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parks
Among Census respondents with the surname Parks, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Parks 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 Parks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.8% · 56,326
- Black or African American24.1% · 20,298
- Two or more races4.8% · 4,025
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 2,569
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 585
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 524
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parks
Parks 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
#354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 88,586
+2,240 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 30.03
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 84,327
-4,259 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 28.21
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #322 | 86,346 | 32.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #354 | 88,586 | 30.03 | +2,240 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #368 | 84,327 | 28.21 | -4,259 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 14 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 Parks 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 | #354 | #368 | -4.0% |
| Count | 88,586 | 84,327 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 30.03 | 28.21 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parks bearers went from 88,586 to 84,327 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #354 to #368.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Parks
FAQ
Parks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parks?
Name Census estimates that about 96,700 living Americans carry the surname Parks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,545 residents.
How common is Parks?
Parks ranks #368 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 28.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 28 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 84,327 people with the surname Parks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (96,700), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 28.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 28.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 28 of them to have the surname Parks.
Has Parks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parks went from 88,586 recorded bearers to 84,327. That is a decrease of 4,259 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #354 to #368.
What does the Census say about the background of Parks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parks, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.8%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Parks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.8% (56,326 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.8%), Black (24.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Parks (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 Parks mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near an enclosed public garden or field. 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 Parks (28.21 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 Parks?
See how common the surname Parks is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.