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

Parmenter, 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 Parmenter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Parmenter in America

Parmenter is the 10132nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Parmenter surname appeared 3,182 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 Parmenter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Parmenter 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 Parmenter

The surname Parmenter has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "parmentier," meaning a maker or seller of paraments, which were ornamental hangings or embroidered cloths used in churches.

The name is believed to have first appeared in the county of Oxfordshire, where some of the earliest records of the surname can be found. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a document recording land holdings and taxpayers in England, there is a mention of a Robert Parmentarius residing in Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parmenter can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a John Parmenter among the taxpayers. This suggests that the name had spread beyond Oxfordshire by the 14th century.

In the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England conducted in 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Parmenter. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Parmentyr in Hertfordshire and Parmenters in Suffolk, indicating the presence of people associated with the parament trade in those regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Parmenter throughout history include:

1. Walter Parmenter (c. 1335-1409), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral in the late 14th century.
2. John Parmenter (c. 1508-1585), a prominent figure in the English Reformation and a member of the Marian exiles who fled England during the reign of Queen Mary I.
3. Sir Thomas Parmenter (1583-1653), an English merchant and entrepreneur who established trading companies in the East Indies and the Americas.
4. James Parmenter (1653-1717), a colonial American soldier and frontiersman who was captured and held captive by Native Americans during King Philip's War in 1675.
5. Cyrus Parmenter (1786-1859), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Parmenter School in New Bedford, Massachusetts, one of the earliest public schools in the United States.

The name Parmenter has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Parmenter Street in London, Parmenter Road in Hertfordshire, and Parmenter Lane in Oxfordshire, further solidifying its connection to the region's history and trade.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Parmenter

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

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 Parmenter 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 Parmenter 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 Parmenter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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