2000
#13,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Parmelee
Derived from a French place name meaning "by the pear tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,197 Americans carry the last name Parmelee. That puts it at #14,846 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parmelee 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
2.2K
1 in 156,010
Census rank
#14,846
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,916 bearers of the surname Parmelee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14846th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmelee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parmelee
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmelee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Parmelee 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 Parmelee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 1,715
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 71
- Two or more races3.6% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 39
- Black or African American1.0% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parmelee
Parmelee 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
#14,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,088
+104 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 375 places
2020
#14,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,916
-172 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 514 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,957 | 1,984 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,332 | 2,088 | 0.71 | +104 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 375 places |
| 2020 | #14,846 | 1,916 | 0.64 | -172 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 514 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 Parmelee 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 | #14,332 | #14,846 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,088 | 1,916 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.64 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parmelee bearers went from 2,088 to 1,916 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 514 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,332 to #14,846.
FAQ
Parmelee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parmelee?
Name Census estimates that about 2,197 living Americans carry the surname Parmelee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,010 residents.
How common is Parmelee?
Parmelee ranks #14,846 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,916 people with the surname Parmelee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Parmelee.
Has Parmelee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parmelee went from 2,088 recorded bearers to 1,916. That is a decrease of 172 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,332 to #14,846.
What does the Census say about the background of Parmelee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmelee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Parmelee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (1,715 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parmelee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Parmelee (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 Parmelee mean?
Derived from a French place name meaning "by the pear tree." 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 Parmelee (0.64 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 Parmelee?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Parmelee is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.