NameCensus.

UK surname

Parkes

Derived from a place name meaning "park" or "enclosure," likely referring to someone who lived near or managed a park.

In the 1881 census there were 6,149 people recorded with the Parkes surname, ranking it #708 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 12,051, ranked #543, up from #708 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rowley Regis, Dudley and Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dudley, Powys and Sandwell.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Parkes is 12,245 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 96.0%.

1881 census count

6,149

Ranked #708

Modern count

12,051

2016, ranked #543

Peak year

2014

12,245 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Parkes had 6,149 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #708 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 12,051 in 2016, ranked #543.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 10,121 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Parkes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Parkes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Parkes 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 3,838 #737
1861 historical 2,779 #1,049
1881 historical 6,149 #708
1891 historical 6,560 #696
1901 historical 8,685 #604
1911 historical 10,121 #486
1997 modern 11,415 #533
1998 modern 12,059 #525
1999 modern 12,199 #524
2000 modern 12,090 #526
2001 modern 11,845 #524
2002 modern 12,081 #528
2003 modern 11,782 #533
2004 modern 11,823 #533
2005 modern 11,508 #536
2006 modern 11,527 #536
2007 modern 11,533 #538
2008 modern 11,572 #540
2009 modern 11,833 #543
2010 modern 12,010 #553
2011 modern 11,998 #543
2012 modern 11,911 #538
2013 modern 12,136 #540
2014 modern 12,245 #540
2015 modern 12,174 #538
2016 modern 12,051 #543

Geography

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Where Parkes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rowley Regis, Dudley, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire), Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dudley, Powys and Sandwell. 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 Rowley Regis Staffordshire
2 Dudley Staffordshire
3 Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) Staffordshire
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dudley 006 Dudley
2 Powys 001 Powys
3 Dudley 039 Dudley
4 Sandwell 022 Sandwell
5 Dudley 026 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Parkes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Parkes

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Parkes, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Parkes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Parkes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Parkes 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

Parkes is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Parkes falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Parkes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Parkes

The surname Parkes originated in England, deriving from various place names in the country. The earliest forms of the name were derived from the Old English words "pearroc" meaning "park" or "enclosed space" and "hierde" meaning "herdsman" or "keeper." This suggests that the original bearers of the surname were those employed as park-keepers or those residing near a park or enclosed area.

The name Parkes can be traced back to the 11th century, with early recorded instances of the surname appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086. One notable entry includes a Richard Parkes, who held lands in Lincolnshire during the Norman conquest. Additionally, the surname has various spellings in historical records, such as Parke, Parkes, and Parks.

In the 13th century, the name was well-established in Cheshire and Lancashire, with records showing families bearing the name in these regions. One notable figure from this period was Sir John Parkes (c. 1235-1295), a knight and landowner in Cheshire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Parkes surname spread across England, with families establishing themselves in various counties. One prominent individual was Sir Thomas Parkes (1560-1633), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London, who served as Lord Mayor of the city in 1620.

In the 18th century, the Parkes name continued to flourish, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. These included Thomas Parkes (1671-1730), a renowned architect responsible for designing several buildings in London, and Sir Henry Parkes (1815-1896), a prominent Australian statesman and politician, often referred to as the "Father of Federation."

Other notable individuals with the Parkes surname include Walter Parkes (1865-1935), an English cricketer who played for Middlesex and England, and Fanny Parkes (1794-1875), a British writer and travel writer who documented her experiences in India.

The Parkes surname has been widely dispersed across various parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong British influence, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. However, its roots can be traced back to England, where it originated from various place names and occupational titles related to park-keeping or residing near enclosed areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Parkes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Parkes 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. Staffordshire leads with 1,857 Parkes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.20x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 1,857 9.20x
Worcestershire 954 12.21x
Warwickshire 886 5.87x
Lancashire 356 0.50x
Middlesex 325 0.54x
Yorkshire 315 0.53x
Derbyshire 177 1.89x
Surrey 160 0.55x
Cheshire 145 1.10x
Nottinghamshire 109 1.35x
Kent 108 0.53x
Sussex 90 0.89x
Shropshire 87 1.68x
Lincolnshire 73 0.76x
Durham 68 0.38x
Gloucestershire 58 0.49x
Hampshire 53 0.43x
Monmouthshire 41 0.95x
Devon 37 0.30x
Essex 35 0.30x
Hertfordshire 26 0.63x
Lanarkshire 22 0.11x
Herefordshire 21 0.86x
Leicestershire 18 0.27x
Buckinghamshire 17 0.47x
Norfolk 16 0.17x
Bedfordshire 11 0.36x
Glamorgan 10 0.10x
Isle of Man 10 0.90x
Berkshire 7 0.16x
Cumberland 7 0.14x
Northamptonshire 6 0.11x
Dorset 4 0.10x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.22x
Angus 2 0.04x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.05x
Cornwall 2 0.03x
Midlothian 2 0.03x
Northumberland 2 0.02x
Wiltshire 2 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.04x
Channel Islands 1 0.06x
Denbighshire 1 0.04x
Oxfordshire 1 0.03x
Royal Navy 1 0.14x
Somerset 1 0.01x
Stirlingshire 1 0.05x
Suffolk 1 0.01x
Westmorland 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rowley Regis in Staffordshire leads with 471 Parkes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 83.69x.

Place Total Index
Rowley Regis 471 83.69x
Aston 398 9.58x
Birmingham 320 6.36x
Dudley 315 33.16x
West Bromwich 190 16.43x
Oldbury 149 38.76x
Sedgley 147 19.60x
Wolverhampton 127 8.18x
Tipton 117 18.92x
Walsall Foreign 117 11.22x
Harborne 108 16.69x
Stoke Upon Trent 107 5.00x
The Hill 97 193.34x
Kingswinford 58 7.91x
Kings Norton 54 7.71x
Handsworth 46 9.24x
Willenhall 45 11.90x
Ecclesall Bierlow 43 3.57x
Sheffield 43 2.28x
Cradley 34 48.12x
Bethnal Green London 33 1.27x
Bromsgrove 33 12.55x
Mayfield 33 55.31x
Bromley London 32 2.43x
Wednesbury 32 6.34x
Everton 30 1.33x
Kinver 30 51.53x
Stourbridge 30 14.92x
Openshaw 29 8.72x
St Pancras London 28 0.58x
Lambeth 27 0.52x
Nottingham St Mary 27 1.29x
Cannock 26 7.38x
Edgbaston 26 5.56x
Lye 26 20.00x
Hackney London 24 0.72x
Ridgacre 24 156.25x
St Woollos 24 4.97x
Sutton Coldfield 24 15.13x
Wednesfield 24 8.08x
Bermondsey 22 1.24x
Kensington London 21 0.63x
Mile End Old Town 21 2.22x
Gateshead 20 1.50x
Halesowen 20 29.16x
Manchester 20 0.63x
Paddington London 20 0.91x
Salford 20 0.96x
Upperswinford 20 30.25x
Brightside Bierlow 19 1.63x
Liverpool 19 0.44x
Stoke Damerel 19 2.18x
Hoyland Nether 18 12.38x
Islington London 18 0.31x
Nantwich 17 11.08x
West Derby 17 0.82x
Brenchley 16 21.90x
Conisbrough 16 28.77x
Gorton 16 2.40x
Litchurch 16 4.24x
Mancetter 16 36.87x
Dukinfield 15 2.46x
Northfield 15 10.12x
South Collingham 15 94.40x
Warley Wigorn 15 60.24x
Yardley 15 7.50x
Bradwell 14 27.50x
Derby St Werburgh 14 2.59x
Kirkdale 14 1.17x
Knowle 14 45.15x
Newington 14 0.63x
Pendleton In Salford 14 1.66x
Croydon 13 0.80x
Heeley 13 7.22x
Kidderminster Borough 13 2.84x
Oldham 13 0.57x
Rawmarsh 13 6.21x
Seighford 13 80.85x
Snenton 13 4.10x
Wollaston 13 26.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 441
Sarah 267
Elizabeth 225
Ann 129
Eliza 120
Hannah 101
Emma 97
Alice 94
Jane 91
Annie 84
Ellen 72
Emily 66
Martha 65
Harriet 47
Ada 38
Florence 38
Maria 38
Caroline 36
Fanny 36
Louisa 34
Clara 33
Margaret 33
Anne 32
Charlotte 32
Lucy 28
Edith 26
Agnes 25
Catherine 24
Phoebe 22
Frances 21
Kate 20
Matilda 20
Harriett 19
Amelia 17
Lizzie 17
Rose 16
Rebecca 15
Amy 14
Esther 14
Susannah 13
Beatrice 12
Rachel 12
Susan 12
Ethel 11
Laura 11
Ruth 11
Selina 11
Elizth. 10
Lilian 10
Julia 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 369
John 348
Thomas 220
Joseph 188
George 185
James 145
Samuel 124
Henry 122
Charles 79
Edward 70
Alfred 62
Frederick 52
Richard 52
Arthur 51
Benjamin 49
Harry 45
Albert 44
Walter 40
Robert 32
David 29
Isaac 26
Francis 25
Frank 23
Edwin 21
Daniel 20
Ernest 20
Herbert 17
Wm. 16
Thos. 15
Fred 14
Josiah 14
Jesse 11
Alexander 10
Abraham 9
Fredk. 9
Saml. 9
Job 7
Aaron 6
Edmund 6
Elijah 6
Fredrick 6
Isaiah 6
Noah 6
Peter 6
Reuben 6
Sidney 6
Tom 6
Willm. 6
Horace 5
Moses 5

FAQ

Parkes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Parkes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,149 people were recorded with the Parkes surname. That placed it at #708 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Parkes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 12,051 in 2016. That gives Parkes a modern rank of #543.

What does the Parkes surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "park" or "enclosure," likely referring to someone who lived near or managed a park.

What does the Parkes map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Parkes 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.