NameCensus.

UK surname

Parkinson

An English occupational surname referring to the son of a Parkin, derived from the diminutive of Peter.

In the 1881 census there were 14,360 people recorded with the Parkinson surname, ranking it #283 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 18,073, ranked #332, down from #283 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lancaster Borough, Rochdale and Lytham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wyre, Fylde and Preston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Parkinson is 19,137 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.9%.

1881 census count

14,360

Ranked #283

Modern count

18,073

2016, ranked #332

Peak year

1911

19,137 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Parkinson had 14,360 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #283 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 18,073 in 2016, ranked #332.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 19,137 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Parkinson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Parkinson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Parkinson 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 9,399 #276
1861 historical 10,275 #250
1881 historical 14,360 #283
1891 historical 15,564 #273
1901 historical 17,671 #285
1911 historical 19,137 #236
1997 modern 17,985 #325
1998 modern 18,524 #328
1999 modern 18,626 #328
2000 modern 18,500 #327
2001 modern 18,147 #326
2002 modern 18,485 #327
2003 modern 17,970 #328
2004 modern 17,858 #330
2005 modern 17,633 #329
2006 modern 17,636 #327
2007 modern 17,826 #326
2008 modern 17,834 #326
2009 modern 18,326 #327
2010 modern 18,589 #327
2011 modern 18,255 #329
2012 modern 17,801 #334
2013 modern 18,322 #332
2014 modern 18,404 #334
2015 modern 18,217 #334
2016 modern 18,073 #332

Geography

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Where Parkinsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lancaster Borough, Rochdale, Lytham, Preston and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wyre, Fylde, Preston, Ribble Valley and Chorley. 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 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
2 Rochdale Lancashire
3 Lytham Lancashire
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wyre 009 Wyre
2 Fylde 002 Fylde
3 Preston 013 Preston
4 Ribble Valley 004 Ribble Valley
5 Chorley 010 Chorley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Parkinson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Parkinson

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Parkinson 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

Parkinson is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Parkinson 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 Parkinson 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 Parkinson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Parkinson

The surname Parkinson is of English origin, deriving from the medieval occupation of "parken keeper" or park keeper. It emerged in the late 12th century, referring to those employed to maintain and oversee royal parks and forests. The earliest recorded spelling is found as "Parkinsone" in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1199.

The name is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly Lancashire and Yorkshire, where many medieval parks and hunting grounds were located. It is likely derived from the Old English words "pearroc" meaning "park" and "hien" meaning "keeper" or "servant."

One of the earliest references to the name Parkinson appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Parkinsone is listed as holding lands in Yorkshire. This demonstrates the name's longevity and suggests its bearers may have been of some social standing.

In the 13th century, a John Parkinson is recorded as serving as a park keeper in the royal forests of Lancashire in 1275. This provides further evidence of the name's association with the occupation of park keeping during the Middle Ages.

A notable bearer of the name was John Parkinson (1567-1650), an English botanist and herbalist who published the influential "Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris" (1629), a foundational work on the classification of plants and their medicinal uses.

Another prominent individual was Sir Thomas Parkinson (1745-1835), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, rising to the rank of Admiral of the Red.

Sarah Parkinson (1824-1914) was a notable English philanthropist and social reformer, known for her efforts to improve the living conditions of the working class in Manchester and her support for women's education.

In the field of science, James Parkinson (1755-1824) was an English surgeon and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossils and published the influential "Essay on the Shaking Palsy" (1817), which provided the first comprehensive description of the neurological disorder that would later bear his name.

Finally, Walter Parkinson (1892-1967) was a British artist and illustrator renowned for his striking linocut prints, many of which depicted scenes of industrial life and urban landscapes in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Parkinson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Parkinson 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. Lancashire leads with 7,744 Parkinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.66x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 7,744 4.66x
Yorkshire 2,749 1.98x
Durham 661 1.59x
Lincolnshire 511 2.28x
Middlesex 501 0.36x
Cheshire 346 1.12x
Nottinghamshire 199 1.05x
Kent 165 0.35x
Staffordshire 165 0.35x
Northamptonshire 125 0.95x
Surrey 116 0.17x
Leicestershire 109 0.70x
Westmorland 109 3.54x
Derbyshire 99 0.45x
Warwickshire 90 0.25x
Cumberland 67 0.56x
Northumberland 63 0.30x
Cambridgeshire 56 0.63x
Hampshire 53 0.18x
Lanarkshire 42 0.09x
Essex 37 0.13x
Huntingdonshire 31 1.11x
Gloucestershire 29 0.11x
Worcestershire 25 0.14x
Sussex 22 0.09x
Midlothian 21 0.11x
Hertfordshire 19 0.20x
Bedfordshire 16 0.22x
Norfolk 15 0.07x
Dorset 14 0.15x
Somerset 14 0.06x
Monmouthshire 13 0.13x
Glamorgan 12 0.05x
Isle of Man 10 0.38x
Shropshire 10 0.08x
Wiltshire 10 0.08x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.11x
Devon 9 0.03x
Flintshire 9 0.24x
Ayrshire 7 0.07x
Oxfordshire 7 0.08x
Renfrewshire 5 0.05x
Selkirkshire 5 0.39x
Argyllshire 4 0.10x
Berkshire 4 0.04x
Cardiganshire 4 0.12x
Royal Navy 4 0.24x
Brecknockshire 3 0.11x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.07x
Suffolk 3 0.02x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.02x
Caithness 2 0.10x
Denbighshire 2 0.04x
Fife 2 0.02x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 0.10x
Angus 1 0.01x
Cornwall 1 0.01x
Herefordshire 1 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.03x
Perthshire 1 0.02x
Rutland 1 0.10x
Stirlingshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 613 Parkinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.78x.

Place Total Index
Preston 613 13.78x
Blackburn 449 10.15x
Wigan 196 8.43x
Pemberton 185 27.90x
Lancaster 177 17.89x
Accrington 175 11.58x
Great Bolton 149 6.77x
Farnworth 137 13.75x
Little Bolton 136 6.36x
Toxteth Park 134 2.38x
Salford 129 2.64x
Leeds 127 1.62x
Liverpool 122 1.21x
Everton 120 2.26x
Habergham Eaves 120 7.90x
Haslingden 119 17.28x
Pendleton In Salford 115 5.81x
Manchester 113 1.51x
Layton With Warbreck 101 16.55x
Newchurch 100 7.35x
Bradford 89 2.65x
Chorley 89 9.54x
Walton Le Dale 88 19.70x
Islington London 82 0.60x
Manningham 81 4.73x
Stranton 80 5.70x
Kirkham 78 35.48x
Horton In Bradford 77 3.55x
Oswaldtwistle 77 13.11x
Calverley Cum Farsley 75 19.02x
Tottington Lower End 72 9.11x
West Derby 72 1.48x
Halliwell 69 11.40x
Worsley 69 6.73x
Clitheroe 68 13.89x
Greenwich 68 3.05x
Barrow In Furness 65 2.87x
Hulme 64 1.84x
Over Darwen 63 4.74x
Bishopwearmouth 62 1.73x
Bury 62 3.26x
Orrell 60 29.02x
Pilling 59 75.60x
Thornton In Fylde 58 15.94x
Biddulph 57 21.36x
Liversedge 57 9.22x
Ashton Under Lyne 53 1.46x
Lytham 53 20.88x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 53 8.22x
Broughton In Salford 52 3.42x
Kensington London 52 0.67x
Ardwick 51 3.40x
Gomersal 51 7.87x
St Pancras London 50 0.44x
Burnley 49 3.50x
Lower Booths 48 16.11x
Northowram 48 4.93x
Colne 47 9.49x
Gainsborough 47 8.90x
Poulton Barre 47 24.84x
Batley 46 3.49x
Holy Trinity 46 1.38x
North Meols 46 2.83x
Gateshead 45 1.44x
Halifax 45 2.21x
Leicester St Margaret 45 1.19x
Scotforth 45 41.64x
North Bierley 44 5.87x
Castleton 43 2.59x
Sculcoates 42 1.91x
Sheffield 42 0.95x
Thorne 42 24.38x
Padiham 41 10.21x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 41 8.57x
Birmingham 40 0.34x
Kirkdale 40 1.43x
Bowling 38 2.76x
Hindley 38 5.36x
Stockport 37 2.32x
Ulverston 37 7.64x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,086
Elizabeth 677
Sarah 507
Jane 386
Margaret 336
Alice 319
Ann 304
Ellen 276
Annie 201
Hannah 173
Emma 149
Eliza 127
Martha 127
Emily 112
Isabella 112
Ada 91
Catherine 88
Agnes 71
Maria 65
Harriet 59
Nancy 54
Clara 52
Charlotte 51
Louisa 51
Edith 50
Esther 50
Frances 48
Betsy 46
Fanny 43
Lucy 43
Florence 40
Kate 40
Betty 37
Elizth. 34
Anne 33
Rebecca 33
Grace 31
Susannah 30
Caroline 27
Amelia 26
Eleanor 26
Ruth 26
Jessie 24
Margt. 24
Rachel 24
Susan 24
Margret 23
Amy 22
Harriett 22
Matilda 22

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 1,027
William 804
Thomas 652
James 604
George 348
Robert 310
Joseph 301
Richard 243
Henry 231
Charles 160
Edward 150
Arthur 97
Samuel 86
Walter 85
Alfred 74
Wm. 64
Frederick 63
Thos. 59
Herbert 55
Harry 52
Albert 49
Christopher 44
David 44
Fred 42
Peter 40
Frank 38
Benjamin 36
Ernest 32
Francis 31
Stephen 30
Ralph 28
Edwin 27
Geo. 24
Tom 24
Isaac 20
Matthew 20
Daniel 17
Percy 17
Robt. 16
Harold 14
Joshua 14
Luke 14
Michael 14
Edmund 13
Jas. 13
Andrew 12
Fredrick 11
Jno. 11
Richd. 11
Mathew 10

FAQ

Parkinson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Parkinson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 14,360 people were recorded with the Parkinson surname. That placed it at #283 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Parkinson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 18,073 in 2016. That gives Parkinson a modern rank of #332.

What does the Parkinson surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to the son of a Parkin, derived from the diminutive of Peter.

What does the Parkinson map show?

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