NameCensus.

UK surname

Parker

An occupational surname referring to a gamekeeper or custodian of a park.

In the 1881 census there were 56,883 people recorded with the Parker surname, ranking it #46 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 76,778, ranked #52, down from #46 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tewkesbury, Craven and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Parker is 79,511 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.0%.

1881 census count

56,883

Ranked #46

Modern count

76,778

2016, ranked #52

Peak year

1999

79,511 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Parker had 56,883 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #46 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 76,778 in 2016, ranked #52.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 76,251 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Parker surname distribution map

The map shows where the Parker surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Parker surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Parker over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 38,325 #45
1861 historical 41,485 #42
1881 historical 56,883 #46
1891 historical 62,802 #45
1901 historical 71,601 #45
1911 historical 76,251 #40
1997 modern 76,476 #49
1998 modern 79,119 #49
1999 modern 79,511 #49
2000 modern 78,808 #49
2001 modern 76,897 #49
2002 modern 78,276 #49
2003 modern 76,385 #49
2004 modern 76,070 #49
2005 modern 74,827 #50
2006 modern 74,748 #50
2007 modern 75,344 #50
2008 modern 75,444 #50
2009 modern 77,097 #51
2010 modern 78,532 #52
2011 modern 77,337 #52
2012 modern 75,934 #52
2013 modern 77,616 #52
2014 modern 78,028 #52
2015 modern 77,241 #52
2016 modern 76,778 #52

Geography

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Where Parkers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tewkesbury, Craven, Cheshire East, South Derbyshire and Leeds. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tewkesbury 003 Tewkesbury
2 Craven 001 Craven
3 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East
4 South Derbyshire 011 South Derbyshire
5 Leeds 110 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Parker

These lists show first names that appear often with the Parker surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Parker

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Parker, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Parker surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Parker household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Parker is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Parker is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Parker falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Parker is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Parker, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Parker

The surname Parker has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "parc," meaning an enclosed area or park of land, which in turn comes from the Latin "parricus." This suggests that the original bearers of the name were either those who worked in or lived near a park or enclosed area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where a Robert le Parker is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, with references to individuals such as Walter le Parker in Oxfordshire and Robert le Parker in Buckinghamshire.

During the Middle Ages, the Parker surname was particularly prevalent in regions like Derbyshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. Some early spellings of the name included Parkere, Parkar, and Parkur, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common in those times.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain direct references to the Parker surname, as it primarily recorded landholders and placenames. However, it does mention places like Parker's Corner in Wiltshire and Parker's Farm in Hampshire, which may have influenced the eventual adoption of the surname in those areas.

Notable individuals with the Parker surname throughout history include:

1. Thomas Parker (c. 1595-1677), an English explorer and colonial leader who served as the first governor of the Province of Avalon in Newfoundland. 2. Sir Hyde Parker (1739-1807), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Battle of Copenhagen during the Napoleonic Wars. 3. Theodore Parker (1810-1860), an American transcendentalist and reforming minister who was a prominent abolitionist and advocate for women's rights. 4. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967), an American writer, poet, and satirist known for her witty and incisive writing, particularly in her contributions to The New Yorker magazine. 5. Charlie Parker (1920-1955), an influential American jazz saxophonist and composer, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the bebop style of jazz.

The Parker surname has a long and diverse history, originating from humble beginnings as a descriptor of those associated with enclosed areas or parks, eventually becoming a widespread surname across England and beyond.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Parker families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Parker surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 7,471 Parkers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.36x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 7,471 1.36x
Lancashire 6,907 1.05x
Middlesex 5,726 1.03x
Surrey 2,611 0.96x
Staffordshire 2,409 1.28x
Warwickshire 2,262 1.61x
Kent 1,996 1.05x
Lincolnshire 1,940 2.18x
Durham 1,635 0.99x
Derbyshire 1,546 1.78x
Gloucestershire 1,297 1.19x
Sussex 1,203 1.28x
Somerset 1,190 1.33x
Cheshire 1,121 0.91x
Hampshire 1,098 0.96x
Suffolk 1,067 1.58x
Essex 1,025 0.93x
Norfolk 1,009 1.18x
Nottinghamshire 972 1.30x
Devon 930 0.80x
Worcestershire 866 1.19x
Leicestershire 790 1.28x
Hertfordshire 726 1.90x
Cumberland 705 1.47x
Northumberland 698 0.84x
Northamptonshire 671 1.28x
Glamorgan 667 0.69x
Lanarkshire 602 0.34x
Berkshire 482 1.16x
Buckinghamshire 455 1.35x
Shropshire 451 0.94x
Oxfordshire 432 1.26x
Ayrshire 422 1.01x
Cambridgeshire 376 1.07x
Monmouthshire 369 0.92x
Dorset 360 0.99x
Wiltshire 308 0.63x
Herefordshire 227 1.00x
Westmorland 205 1.68x
Bedfordshire 199 0.69x
Renfrewshire 160 0.37x
Cornwall 156 0.25x
Wigtownshire 141 1.91x
Huntingdonshire 123 1.11x
Fife 102 0.31x
Channel Islands 91 0.55x
Midlothian 69 0.09x
Flintshire 65 0.44x
Denbighshire 64 0.30x
Rutland 60 1.47x
Kirkcudbrightshire 56 0.70x
Angus 53 0.10x
Royal Navy 46 0.69x
Stirlingshire 46 0.22x
Dumfriesshire 43 0.35x
Dunbartonshire 31 0.21x
Montgomeryshire 31 0.24x
Radnorshire 29 0.65x
Argyllshire 24 0.16x
Berwickshire 17 0.25x
Perthshire 16 0.06x
Brecknockshire 14 0.13x
Roxburghshire 11 0.11x
West Lothian 10 0.12x
Peeblesshire 9 0.34x
Caernarfonshire 7 0.03x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.03x
Isle of Man 7 0.07x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.01x
Clackmannanshire 6 0.13x
East Lothian 5 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 5 0.03x
Morayshire 4 0.05x
Cardiganshire 3 0.02x
Inverness-shire 3 0.02x
Kincardineshire 3 0.04x
Merionethshire 3 0.03x
Sutherland 2 0.05x
Anglesey 1 0.01x
Ross-shire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 720 Parkers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.54x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 720 1.54x
Aston 656 1.70x
Islington London 563 1.05x
St Pancras London 545 1.22x
Leeds 476 1.53x
Lambeth 456 0.94x
Bethnal Green London 377 1.56x
Blackburn 357 2.04x
Preston 355 2.01x
Brighton 350 1.85x
Camberwell 346 0.97x
St Marylebone London 334 1.13x
Kensington London 313 1.01x
Nottingham St Mary 297 1.53x
Hackney London 296 0.95x
Shoreditch London 280 1.16x
West Bromwich 264 2.46x
Paddington London 257 1.26x
West Ham 247 1.02x
Barony 228 0.50x
Leicester St Margaret 216 1.44x
Sheffield 216 1.23x
Liverpool 215 0.54x
West Derby 212 1.10x
Manchester 205 0.69x
Mile End Old Town 192 2.19x
Batley 183 3.50x
Deptford St Paul 182 1.24x
Croydon 177 1.18x
Everton 177 0.84x
Newington 177 0.86x
Bermondsey 176 1.06x
Toxteth Park 175 0.78x
Bradford 166 1.25x
Hammersmith London 161 1.18x
Portsea 158 0.71x
St George Hanover 157 2.16x
Stoke Upon Trent 156 0.78x
Walsall Foreign 155 1.60x
Battersea 152 0.74x
Clerkenwell London 150 1.14x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 148 1.44x
Horton In Bradford 146 1.70x
Salford 146 0.75x
Chelsea London 145 0.87x
Holy Trinity 145 1.09x
Habergham Eaves 144 2.39x
Bedminster 140 1.67x
Derby St Werburgh 139 2.77x
Burnley 136 2.45x
Govan 136 0.31x
Lancaster 135 3.44x
Bishopwearmouth 134 0.94x
Hunslet 124 1.44x
Oldham 123 0.58x
Chorlton On Medlock 122 1.16x
Hulme 121 0.88x
Ecclesall Bierlow 120 1.07x
Winlaton 120 7.57x
Bromley London 119 0.97x
Keighley 118 2.01x
Stapenhill 117 9.04x
Sedgley 114 1.64x
Greenwich 113 1.28x
Fulham London 112 1.39x
Kidderminster Borough 110 2.59x
Willenhall 110 3.13x
Clitheroe 109 5.62x
Bow London 108 1.53x
Sculcoates 108 1.24x
Glasgow 107 0.34x
Bury 106 1.41x
Stanton Newhall 106 38.02x
Halifax 105 1.30x
Southwark St George Martyr 105 0.94x
Accrington 103 1.72x
Great Yarmouth 103 1.46x
Kingston On Thames 103 1.58x
Shipley 103 3.60x
Wortley In Bramley 103 2.36x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Parker surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 3,688
Elizabeth 2,181
Sarah 2,077
Ann 1,119
Jane 1,062
Alice 899
Eliza 847
Emma 826
Annie 818
Ellen 789
Emily 656
Hannah 630
Margaret 615
Martha 479
Louisa 367
Harriet 348
Maria 324
Ada 323
Edith 322
Caroline 317
Florence 311
Charlotte 306
Fanny 279
Kate 251
Lucy 250
Clara 238
Catherine 229
Anne 203
Frances 197
Susan 195
Isabella 193
Agnes 177
Harriett 173
Rose 160
Amelia 135
Rebecca 135
Susannah 134
Esther 125
Minnie 122
Matilda 116
Sophia 113
Eleanor 108
Elizth. 107
Amy 104
Julia 102
Gertrude 94
Lydia 89
Betsy 85
Jessie 85
Grace 84

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Parker surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 3,529
John 3,296
George 2,054
Thomas 1,930
James 1,602
Henry 1,207
Joseph 1,124
Charles 1,049
Robert 724
Edward 628
Alfred 559
Richard 534
Arthur 518
Samuel 500
Frederick 477
Walter 396
Albert 344
Harry 337
Frank 252
Herbert 229
Ernest 206
David 184
Francis 170
Benjamin 162
Edwin 162
Wm. 156
Thos. 124
Fred 120
Isaac 102
Tom 101
Stephen 100
Peter 94
Daniel 91
Geo. 89
Edmund 69
Fredrick 63
Christopher 55
Fredk. 54
Chas. 53
Abraham 52
Sidney 50
Willm. 44
Matthew 43
Percy 43
Jesse 40
Mark 40
Alexander 39
Michael 39
Jas. 37
Frederic 34

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Parker households.

FAQ

Parker surname: questions and answers

How common was the Parker surname in 1881?

In 1881, 56,883 people were recorded with the Parker surname. That placed it at #46 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Parker surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 76,778 in 2016. That gives Parker a modern rank of #52.

What does the Parker surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a gamekeeper or custodian of a park.

What does the Parker map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Parker bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.