2000
#2,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,565
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.66
Uncommon Last name
Parson
An occupational surname referring to a clergyman or parish priest in medieval England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,641 Americans carry the last name Parson. That puts it at #2,748 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,411 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parson 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 Parson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,411
Census rank
#2,748
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,768 bearers of the surname Parson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2748th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parson, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parson
The surname Parson is an English surname derived from the Middle English word "persone," which was used to refer to a member of the clergy or a parish priest. The name originated in England during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Parson date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named William Persone.
The surname Parson is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, given to individuals who served as parish priests or clergymen. In medieval times, priests and clergymen often took on surnames related to their occupation or position within the church.
One notable historical figure with the surname Parson was Robert Parson (c. 1546-1610), an English Jesuit priest and writer. He played a significant role in the Catholic mission to England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and was a prominent figure in the efforts to re-establish Catholicism in the country.
Another individual of note was James Parsons (1705-1770), an English mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was a member of the Royal Society.
In the 18th century, Sir William Parsons (1701-1767) was an Irish politician and landowner who served as the Surveyor General of Ireland and played a crucial role in the development of the city of Dublin.
John Parsons (1761-1819) was an American jurist and statesman who served as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 to 1819.
Sir Charles Parsons (1854-1931) was a British engineer and inventor best known for his development of the modern steam turbine, which revolutionized power generation and propulsion systems in ships and industry.
While the surname Parson has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns. The name can be found in various spellings, such as Parsons, Parsonns, and Parsonns, reflecting regional variations and changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parson
Among Census respondents with the surname Parson, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Parson 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 Parson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.8% · 7,376
- Black or African American31.8% · 4,065
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 596
- Two or more races4.2% · 536
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 122
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parson
Parson 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
#2,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,209
+644 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 4.48
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#2,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,768
-441 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 4.27
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,644 | 12,565 | 4.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,727 | 13,209 | 4.48 | +644 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #2,748 | 12,768 | 4.27 | -441 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 21 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 Parson 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 | #2,727 | #2,748 | -0.8% |
| Count | 13,209 | 12,768 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.48 | 4.27 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parson bearers went from 13,209 to 12,768 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,727 to #2,748.
FAQ
Parson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parson?
Name Census estimates that about 14,641 living Americans carry the surname Parson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,411 residents.
How common is Parson?
Parson ranks #2,748 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,768 people with the surname Parson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,641), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Parson.
Has Parson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parson went from 13,209 recorded bearers to 12,768. That is a decrease of 441 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,727 to #2,748.
What does the Census say about the background of Parson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parson, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Parson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (7,376 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.8%), Black (31.8%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Parson (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 Parson mean?
An occupational surname referring to a clergyman or parish priest in medieval England. 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 Parson (4.27 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 are called Parson?
If you just want to know how common the surname Parson is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.