2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Parmerter
A name of Old French origin, meaning one who works with Parmesan cheese.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Parmerter. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parmerter 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Parmerter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmerter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parmerter
The surname Parmerter originates from England, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French words "parmentier" or "parmentere," which referred to an individual who manufactured or sold a type of coarse cloth known as "parment."
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Parmerter name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Historical records from that period, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Parmentarius, Parmunter, and Parmenter.
One of the earliest known references to the name Parmerter can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Willelmus Parmentarius is mentioned. This entry suggests that the Parmerter surname may have originated even earlier than the 13th century.
In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are no direct mentions of the Parmerter name. However, the book does reference individuals with the occupation of cloth makers or merchants, which could be related to the name's origins.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Parmerter surname, John Parmerter (1536-1592) was a respected English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. Another prominent individual was Thomas Parmerter (1678-1743), a respected scholar and clergyman who served as the Rector of Weston-on-Green in Oxfordshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Parmerter name was associated with several prominent families in the county of Buckinghamshire. One such family resided in the village of Winslow, where they owned substantial lands and properties. A notable member of this family was Sir William Parmerter (1612-1681), who served as a Member of Parliament and held the position of High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire.
In the realm of literature, the Parmerter name gained recognition through the works of the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. In his play "Henry IV, Part 2," Shakespeare included a character named Mistress Quickly, whose maiden name was Parmerter.
While the Parmerter surname has its roots in England, it eventually spread to other parts of the world, including the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World include Benjamin Parmerter (1684-1756), who settled in Massachusetts, and John Parmerter (1712-1789), who resided in Virginia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parmerter
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmerter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Parmerter 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 Parmerter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parmerter
Parmerter appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,122 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 Parmerter 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 | #159,712 | #153,590 | 3.8% |
| Count | 101 | 104 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parmerter bearers went from 101 to 104 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Parmerter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parmerter?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Parmerter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Parmerter?
Parmerter ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Parmerter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Parmerter.
Has Parmerter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parmerter went from 101 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Parmerter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmerter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Parmerter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parmerter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Parmerter (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 Parmerter mean?
A name of Old French origin, meaning one who works with Parmesan cheese. 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 Parmerter (0.03 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 Parmerter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.