NameCensus.

UK surname

Parmenter

A locational surname derived from a place in Devon, England, likely meaning "pear tree hill" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 797 people recorded with the Parmenter surname, ranking it #4,670 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,414, ranked #4,319, up from #4,670 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cavendish, Bocking and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Colchester, Gwynedd and Babergh.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Parmenter is 1,563 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 77.4%.

1881 census count

797

Ranked #4,670

Modern count

1,414

2016, ranked #4,319

Peak year

1998

1,563 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Parmenter had 797 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,670 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,414 in 2016, ranked #4,319.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,369 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Parmenter surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Parmenter surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Parmenter 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 448 #5,502
1861 historical 395 #6,492
1881 historical 797 #4,670
1891 historical 929 #4,453
1901 historical 1,265 #3,916
1911 historical 1,369 #3,512
1997 modern 1,487 #3,935
1998 modern 1,563 #3,910
1999 modern 1,562 #3,943
2000 modern 1,525 #4,010
2001 modern 1,505 #3,974
2002 modern 1,531 #3,999
2003 modern 1,487 #4,034
2004 modern 1,496 #4,014
2005 modern 1,427 #4,136
2006 modern 1,391 #4,217
2007 modern 1,395 #4,242
2008 modern 1,405 #4,248
2009 modern 1,436 #4,249
2010 modern 1,486 #4,216
2011 modern 1,454 #4,245
2012 modern 1,381 #4,348
2013 modern 1,411 #4,341
2014 modern 1,433 #4,313
2015 modern 1,418 #4,315
2016 modern 1,414 #4,319

Geography

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Where Parmenters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cavendish, Bocking, London parishes, St John Hackney and Hutton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Colchester, Gwynedd, Babergh, Wyre Forest and Tandridge. 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 Cavendish Suffolk
2 Bocking Essex
3 London parishes London 3
4 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
5 Hutton Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Colchester 019 Colchester
2 Gwynedd 011 Gwynedd
3 Babergh 002 Babergh
4 Wyre Forest 011 Wyre Forest
5 Tandridge 012 Tandridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Parmenter

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Parmenter

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Parmenter, 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 Parmenter surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Parmenter 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Parmenter is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Parmenter is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Parmenter falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Parmenter 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 Parmenter, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Parmenter

The surname Parmenter has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "parmentier," meaning a maker or seller of paraments, which were ornamental hangings or embroidered cloths used in churches.

The name is believed to have first appeared in the county of Oxfordshire, where some of the earliest records of the surname can be found. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a document recording land holdings and taxpayers in England, there is a mention of a Robert Parmentarius residing in Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parmenter can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a John Parmenter among the taxpayers. This suggests that the name had spread beyond Oxfordshire by the 14th century.

In the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England conducted in 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Parmenter. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Parmentyr in Hertfordshire and Parmenters in Suffolk, indicating the presence of people associated with the parament trade in those regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Parmenter throughout history include:

1. Walter Parmenter (c. 1335-1409), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral in the late 14th century. 2. John Parmenter (c. 1508-1585), a prominent figure in the English Reformation and a member of the Marian exiles who fled England during the reign of Queen Mary I. 3. Sir Thomas Parmenter (1583-1653), an English merchant and entrepreneur who established trading companies in the East Indies and the Americas. 4. James Parmenter (1653-1717), a colonial American soldier and frontiersman who was captured and held captive by Native Americans during King Philip's War in 1675. 5. Cyrus Parmenter (1786-1859), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Parmenter School in New Bedford, Massachusetts, one of the earliest public schools in the United States.

The name Parmenter has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Parmenter Street in London, Parmenter Road in Hertfordshire, and Parmenter Lane in Oxfordshire, further solidifying its connection to the region's history and trade.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Parmenter families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Parmenter 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. Essex leads with 295 Parmenters recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.25x.

County Total Index
Essex 295 19.25x
Middlesex 197 2.54x
Suffolk 136 14.38x
Surrey 31 0.82x
Norfolk 26 2.18x
Kent 20 0.75x
Worcestershire 19 1.87x
Hampshire 17 1.07x
Cambridgeshire 12 2.44x
Cheshire 9 0.53x
Cumberland 9 1.35x
Berkshire 3 0.51x
Huntingdonshire 3 1.95x
Lincolnshire 3 0.24x
Yorkshire 3 0.04x
Devon 2 0.12x
Durham 2 0.09x
Herefordshire 2 0.63x
Oxfordshire 2 0.42x
Channel Islands 1 0.43x
Hertfordshire 1 0.19x
Lancashire 1 0.01x
Northamptonshire 1 0.14x
Somerset 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. Long Melford in Suffolk leads with 39 Parmenters recorded in 1881 and an index of 443.69x.

Place Total Index
Long Melford 39 443.69x
Hackney London 33 7.58x
Halstead 33 184.56x
Cavendish 31 1016.39x
Hutton 26 2166.67x
Islington London 26 3.45x
Braintree 21 152.62x
Bocking 19 206.07x
Great Yarmouth 19 19.21x
Wethersfield 19 492.23x
Ribbesford 17 201.42x
Kirby Le Soken 16 727.27x
Poplar London 16 10.92x
West Ham 16 4.73x
Acton 15 974.03x
Mile End Old Town 15 12.24x
Paddington London 13 4.55x
Battersea 11 3.85x
Aldham 10 877.19x
Colchester St Botolph 10 76.69x
East Horndon 10 746.27x
Friern Barnet 10 58.48x
Tonbridge 10 10.47x
Caldewgate 9 24.57x
Ratcliffe London 9 20.99x
Rivenhall 9 491.80x
Rotherhithe 9 9.38x
Shoreditch London 9 2.67x
Sudbury St Peter 9 173.75x
Tilbury 9 1500.00x
Alverstoke 8 13.89x
Brentwood 8 85.56x
Chiswick 8 18.85x
Great Cornard 8 373.83x
Ipswich St Peter 8 62.84x
Knutsford Nether 8 77.22x
Bethnal Green London 7 2.08x
Chelmsford 7 26.62x
Ipswich St Mathew 7 26.42x
Leyton 7 26.52x
St Pancras London 7 1.12x
Croydon 6 2.86x
Latchingdon Snoreham 6 410.96x
Southampton All Sts 6 21.97x
St Andrewthe Less 6 10.68x
Sudbury St Gregory 6 79.16x
Theydon Bois 6 257.51x
Bow London 5 5.06x
Great Waldingfield 5 320.51x
Lewisham 5 3.54x
Pattiswick 5 555.56x
Shepperton 5 145.77x
St George In East 5 9.47x
Toppesfield 5 218.34x
Kensington London 4 0.93x
Leyton Low 4 12.84x
Little Baddow 4 275.86x
Swaffham Prior 4 185.19x
Witham 4 50.70x
Belchamp Otten 3 337.08x
Burlingham St Andrew 3 638.30x
Colchester St Martin 3 107.14x
Fulham London 3 2.66x
Lambeth 3 0.44x
Limehouse London 3 3.52x
Maidstone 3 3.80x
St Ives 3 37.55x
Stambourne 3 260.87x
Tottenham 3 2.43x
Bridstow 2 110.50x
Colchester St Mary At 2 36.83x
Great Coggeshall 2 25.09x
Little Ilford 2 75.47x
Runham 2 84.03x
Sandhurst 2 17.71x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 1.28x
St Martin In Fields 2 4.30x
St Mary Extra 2 15.61x
St Marylebone London 2 0.48x
Sudbury All Sts 2 69.44x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 64
George 32
John 28
Thomas 23
Henry 22
Charles 21
Alfred 15
Arthur 14
Robert 12
James 11
Edward 10
Frederick 9
Joseph 9
Walter 9
Samuel 8
Albert 6
Richard 6
David 5
Daniel 3
Harry 3
Lewis 3
Sidney 3
Wm. 3
Earnest 2
Fred 2
Fredk. 2
Herbert 2
Isaac 2
Jno. 2
Louis 2
Osgood 2
Silas 2
Sydney 2
Alexander 1
Amos 1
Charley 1
Chas.Jas. 1
Eli 1
Emma 1
Ernest 1
F.G. 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
G. 1
Joe 1
Jonathan 1
Jones 1
K.D.L. 1
Wm.Pardoe 1

FAQ

Parmenter surname: questions and answers

How common was the Parmenter surname in 1881?

In 1881, 797 people were recorded with the Parmenter surname. That placed it at #4,670 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Parmenter surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,414 in 2016. That gives Parmenter a modern rank of #4,319.

What does the Parmenter surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place in Devon, England, likely meaning "pear tree hill" in Old English.

What does the Parmenter map show?

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