Find out how popular the last name Parmelee is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Parmelee.

Parmelee, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Parmelee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Parmelee in America

Parmelee is the 14332nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Parmelee surname appeared 2,088 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Parmelee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Parmelee to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Parmelee

The surname PARMELEE originated in France, specifically in the Normandy region, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "parme," meaning "palm tree," and "lee," a term referring to a meadow or clearing. Thus, PARMELEE likely referred to an area with palm trees or a palm tree-lined meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PARMELEE can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. This document contains the name Parmelée, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the modern surname.

In the 12th century, a man named Geoffroy Parmelee was recorded as a prominent landowner in the village of Évreux, located in the Normandy region of France. His descendants continued to use the surname PARMELEE in various spellings throughout the centuries.

During the 16th century, a notable figure named Jean PARMELEE (1521-1589) emerged as a skilled architect who contributed to the design and construction of several notable buildings in Paris, including portions of the Louvre Palace.

In the 17th century, the PARMELEE surname gained further recognition when Étienne PARMELEE (1616-1687), a French explorer and cartographer, created detailed maps of the Mississippi River region and the Great Lakes area of North America.

Another notable individual with the surname PARMELEE was Marie-Anne PARMELEE (1779-1854), a French author and poet who gained acclaim for her romantic novels and poetic works inspired by nature and the countryside.

As the PARMELEE family spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Parmelée, Parmele, Parmeley, and Parmely, among others. The name appeared in records from places like England, Germany, and the Netherlands, reflecting the migration patterns of those bearing the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Parmelee

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Parmelee.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Parmelee was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Parmelee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Parmelee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Parmelee, please contact us.

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