Parton last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Parton

A surname of French origin derived from the Old French word "pardon", meaning a place of pilgrimage or sanctuary.

Parton, 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 Parton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Parton in America

Parton is the 5739th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Parton surname appeared 6,039 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Parton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Parton 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 5739 5487 4.49%
Count 6,039 5,829 3.54%
Proportion per 100k 2.05 2.16 -5.23%

The history of the last name Parton

The surname Parton is an English habitational name derived from a place named Parton, which is now found in Cumbria, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Yorkshire. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "pearl" and "tun," meaning a farm where pearls were found or traded. The name can be traced back to the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parton can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1195, where a certain Willelmus de Parton is mentioned. In the Curia Regis Rolls of 1221, there is a reference to a Robert de Parton in Yorkshire.

The Parton surname is also mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list several individuals bearing this name in various counties, such as Willelmus de Parton in Gloucestershire and Robertus de Parton in Derbyshire.

During the 13th century, the name was also recorded in the Testa de Nevill, an early English census document. The entry for Kirkcudbrightshire mentions a place called "Parton" held by the Earl of Dunbar.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Parton was Sir William Parton, a member of the English Parliament who represented Gloucestershire in 1328 and 1330.

In the 16th century, the Parton family was well-established in Cumbria, with several members holding positions of prominence. John Parton (1508-1582) was a prominent landowner and served as the High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1566.

Another notable figure was Reverend Richard Parton (1636-1702), an English clergyman and author from Cumbria, who wrote several religious works, including "The Christian's Manual" and "The Evangelical Minister's Directory."

In the 18th century, William Parton (1719-1796) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in Cumbria and Yorkshire.

The 19th century saw the birth of Sir John Parton (1828-1901), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Natal, South Africa, from 1880 to 1893.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Parton is the American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, born in 1946, who has had a remarkable career spanning over six decades and has won numerous awards, including eight Grammy Awards and two Academy Award nominations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Parton

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

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 Parton was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.36% 5,517
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.74% 105
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.04% 63
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.10% 127
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.54% 93
Hispanic Origin 2.22% 134

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.36% 92.83% -1.60%
Black 1.74% 1.51% 14.15%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.04% 0.62% 50.60%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.10% 2.11% -0.48%
Two or More Races 1.54% 1.17% 27.31%
Hispanic 2.22% 1.77% 22.56%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Parton last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/parton-surname-popularity/.

"Parton last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/parton-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

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

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