2000
#5,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,374
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.36
Rare Last name
Parsley
A surname derived from the herb, likely referring to a gardener, greengrocer, or spice merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,748 Americans carry the last name Parsley. That puts it at #5,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,793 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parsley 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 Parsley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 50,793
Census rank
#5,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,885 bearers of the surname Parsley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parsley
The surname Parsley is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "persill," which referred to the herb parsley. It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who grew or traded in parsley, or perhaps lived near an area where parsley was cultivated.
Records show the name appearing as early as the 13th century in various parts of England, with early spellings including Perselee, Parselye, and Perseley. One of the earliest known bearers was Robert Parselye, mentioned in tax records from Yorkshire in 1297.
In the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, there is a reference to a Hugo Persely, indicating the name's presence in that region during the medieval period. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 also list a William Parsely.
The surname Parsley can be found in several early manuscripts and records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a place name in Wiltshire. This suggests the name may have derived from a particular location associated with parsley cultivation.
Notable historical figures bearing the Parsley surname include Sir John Parsley (1545-1617), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. Another notable bearer was Robert Parsley (1612-1679), an English clergyman and author of several religious works.
In the 18th century, William Parsley (1742-1827) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Anne and St. Agnes in Gresham Street.
During the Victorian era, Charles Parsley (1848-1918) was a British artist known for his landscapes and rural scenes, while John Parsley (1870-1952) was a noted English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
Throughout history, the Parsley surname has been present in various regions of England, particularly in areas where parsley cultivation or trade was prominent, such as Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, and Sussex.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parsley
Among Census respondents with the surname Parsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Parsley 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 Parsley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 5,195
- Two or more races4.1% · 240
- Black or African American3.9% · 232
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parsley
Parsley 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
#5,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,315
-59 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 459 places
2020
#5,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,885
-430 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,049 | 6,374 | 2.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,508 | 6,315 | 2.14 | -59 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 459 places |
| 2020 | #5,680 | 5,885 | 1.97 | -430 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 172 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 Parsley 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 | #5,508 | #5,680 | -3.1% |
| Count | 6,315 | 5,885 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 1.97 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parsley bearers went from 6,315 to 5,885 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 172 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,508 to #5,680.
FAQ
Parsley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parsley?
Name Census estimates that about 6,748 living Americans carry the surname Parsley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,793 residents.
How common is Parsley?
Parsley ranks #5,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,885 people with the surname Parsley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,748), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Parsley.
Has Parsley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parsley went from 6,315 recorded bearers to 5,885. That is a decrease of 430 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,508 to #5,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Parsley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parsley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.9%). 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 Parsley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (5,195 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parsley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Black (3.9%). 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 Parsley (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 Parsley mean?
A surname derived from the herb, likely referring to a gardener, greengrocer, or spice merchant. 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 Parsley (1.97 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 share the surname Parsley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.