The Palmer surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 156,601 people carried this name — #172 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,880 people counted. That is up 4% from 150,407 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Palmer surname
An English surname transferred from the nickname.
From Middle English palmer (“a pilgrim from the Holy Land”), from Old French.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Palmer» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 32 births for the Palmer name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 343 people named Palmer.
163 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 47 départements, most often Paris.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
185 people named Palmer have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 307 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 11 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Opole.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 156 people named Palmer live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
104 people named Palmer live in Switzerland.
They live in 13 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
1,829 people named Palmer are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Palmer in American newspapers,
1891–1920.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,637,194 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Palmer,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Anne Lennard, Countess of Sussex 1661–1721 · aristocrat -
Elihu Palmer 1764–1806 · writer
-
William A. Palmer 1781–1860 · judge -
Nathaniel Palmer 1799–1877 · engineer -
Edward Palmer 1809–1889 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 167 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Palmer.
- Pallas 947 · U.S. census
- Pallin 171 · U.S. census
- Pallini 196 · U.S. census
- Palm 7,041 · U.S. census
- Palma 20,636 · U.S. census
- Palmas 463 · U.S. census
- Palmeri 2,426 · U.S. census
- Palmerini 113 · U.S. census
- Palmero 718 · U.S. census
- Palmier 206 · U.S. census
- Palmieri 6,296 · U.S. census
- Palmisano 3,363 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Palmer is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.