2000
#9,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Parmenter
A locational surname derived from a place in Devon, England, likely meaning "pear tree hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,413 Americans carry the last name Parmenter. That puts it at #10,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parmenter 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 Parmenter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,426
Census rank
#10,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,976 bearers of the surname Parmenter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmenter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parmenter
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmenter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Parmenter 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 Parmenter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 2,675
- Two or more races4.3% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 114
- Black or African American0.9% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parmenter
Parmenter 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
#10,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,182
+43 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 634 places
2020
#10,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,976
-206 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,498 | 3,139 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,132 | 3,182 | 1.08 | +43 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 634 places |
| 2020 | #10,296 | 2,976 | 1.00 | -206 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 164 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 Parmenter 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 | #10,132 | #10,296 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,182 | 2,976 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.00 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parmenter bearers went from 3,182 to 2,976 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 164 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,132 to #10,296.
FAQ
Parmenter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parmenter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,413 living Americans carry the surname Parmenter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,426 residents.
How common is Parmenter?
Parmenter ranks #10,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,976 people with the surname Parmenter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Parmenter.
Has Parmenter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parmenter went from 3,182 recorded bearers to 2,976. That is a decrease of 206 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,132 to #10,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Parmenter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmenter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Parmenter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (2,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parmenter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Parmenter (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 Parmenter mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Devon, England, likely meaning "pear tree hill" in Old English. 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 Parmenter (1.00 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 Americans have the surname Parmenter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.