Parsell last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Parsell

An English surname derived from the Old French "parcelle" meaning a small plot of land or parcel.

Parsell, 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 Parsell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Parsell in America

Parsell is the 22906th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Parsell surname appeared 1,117 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Parsell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Parsell 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 22906 20727 9.99%
Count 1,117 1,186 -5.99%
Proportion per 100k 0.38 0.44 -14.63%

The history of the last name Parsell

The surname Parsell is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "perse" and "hyll," meaning "green hill." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century, with early records showing various spellings such as Pershill, Pershull, and Persehyll.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "William de Pershulle." This document was a census-like survey conducted during the reign of King Edward I, suggesting that the Parsell name had already been established by that time.

The Parsell family is thought to have originated in the counties of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, where they were likely landowners or resided near a prominent green hill. In the 16th century, the name appeared in the parish records of Eversholt, Bedfordshire, with the baptism of Margarett Parsell in 1584.

A notable figure bearing the Parsell surname was John Parsell (1586-1661), a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Maldon, Essex, during the English Civil War era. He was a vocal supporter of the Parliamentarian cause and served as a judge during the trial of King Charles I.

Another historical figure was Reverend James Parsell (1634-1704), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Stanlake in Oxfordshire. He wrote several theological works, including "A Treatise on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper" published in 1688.

In the 18th century, the name appears in various records, such as the baptism of William Parsell in 1721 in the parish of Wootton, Bedfordshire, and the marriage of John Parsell and Mary Scrivener in 1733 in the parish of Cheddington, Buckinghamshire.

The Parsell family also had connections to Scotland, with records showing a William Parsell born in Leith, Scotland, around 1780. He later immigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, where he worked as a merchant.

Another notable figure was Sir John Parsell (1823-1901), a British businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He served as the Mayor of Bradford, Yorkshire, and was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1887 for his charitable contributions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Parsell

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

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 Parsell was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.52% 1,067
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.90% 10
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.54% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.45% 5
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.16% 13
Hispanic Origin 1.43% 16

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 Parsell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.52% 96.46% -0.98%
Black 0.90% 0.59% 41.61%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.54% 0.51% 5.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.45% 0.42% 6.90%
Two or More Races 1.16% 1.01% 13.82%
Hispanic 1.43% 1.01% 34.43%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Parsell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/parsell-surname-popularity/.

"Parsell last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/parsell-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Parsell last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/parsell-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.