2000
#6,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,680
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Parmer
An occupational surname referring to a tender of parks or someone who worked in a park.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,017 Americans carry the last name Parmer. That puts it at #7,342 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,319 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parmer 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 Parmer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,319
Census rank
#7,342
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,375 bearers of the surname Parmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7342nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parmer
The surname Parmer is an English occupational name that originated from the Old French word "parmenter," meaning a maker or seller of embroidered accessories. This name traces its roots back to the 12th century, when it first appeared in England during the Norman Conquest.
The earliest recorded instance of the Parmer surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where one Robert le Parmunter is mentioned. Over the centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, including Parmonter, Parmunter, and Parmiter. The surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, where many families with this occupation lived.
One notable historical figure bearing the Parmer surname was Sir Thomas Parmer (1508-1579), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Nottinghamshire. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1566 and was a prominent figure in the city's trade and commerce. Another distinguished individual was Robert Parmer (1633-1702), a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
In the 16th century, the Parmer surname can be found in the parish records of Wragby, Lincolnshire, with the entry of Christopher Parmer's marriage in 1582. The name also appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674, which recorded households in various counties, including those of John Parmer in Lincolnshire and William Parmer in Yorkshire.
A notable place name associated with the Parmer surname is Parmenter Street in London's Clerkenwell district, which likely derived its name from the presence of embroiderers and makers of embroidered goods in the area during the medieval period. Additionally, the village of Parmer in Oxfordshire, England, may have some connection to the surname, although the exact origin of the place name is uncertain.
Other individuals with the Parmer surname who left their mark on history include John Parmer (1704-1782), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, and Elizabeth Parmer (1718-1799), a celebrated author and poet whose works were widely published during the 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Parmer 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 Parmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 3,600
- Black or African American10.2% · 447
- Two or more races3.8% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parmer
Parmer 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
#6,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,029
+349 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 59 places
2020
#7,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,375
-654 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 626 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,657 | 4,680 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,716 | 5,029 | 1.70 | +349 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 59 places |
| 2020 | #7,342 | 4,375 | 1.46 | -654 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 626 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 Parmer 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 | #6,716 | #7,342 | -9.3% |
| Count | 5,029 | 4,375 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.46 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parmer bearers went from 5,029 to 4,375 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 626 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,716 to #7,342.
FAQ
Parmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parmer?
Name Census estimates that about 5,017 living Americans carry the surname Parmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,319 residents.
How common is Parmer?
Parmer ranks #7,342 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,375 people with the surname Parmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,017), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Parmer.
Has Parmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parmer went from 5,029 recorded bearers to 4,375. That is a decrease of 654 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,716 to #7,342.
What does the Census say about the background of Parmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Parmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (3,600 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.3%), Black (10.2%), Two or More Races (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 Parmer (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 Parmer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a tender of parks or someone who worked in a park. 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 Parmer (1.46 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 Parmer?
If you just want to know how common the surname Parmer is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.