The Parkin surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,022 people carried this name — #8,241 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 73,500 people counted. That is up 6% from 3,805 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Parkin surname

A surname transferred from the given name.

From a Middle English pet-form of Peter, from Per + -kin.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Parkin» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Peter’.

An early record he cites: John Perkyn, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Parkin, Parkins, Parkisson, Parkeson, Perkin, Perkins, Perkinson, Parkyn and Parkyns.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 584 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Parkin was found among the farmers of 6 counties.

It was most frequent in Durham: 24 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 417. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Durham 24
Cornwall 20
Cumberland and Westmorland 14
Yorkshire, West Riding 11
Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 10
Derbyshire 9

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Parkin was recorded 11 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1788th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 10. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Parkin in American newspapers,
1907–1925.

Newspaper page from The Salt Lake Herald carrying the name Parkin
The Salt Lake Herald 1907-07-21
Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Parkin
The Sun 1914-09-13
Newspaper page from The Bozeman Courier carrying the name Parkin
The Bozeman Courier 1925-08-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 69,258 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Parkin in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

25,289 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Parkin. The most, 4,384, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 7,015
Victoria 6,434
South Australia 5,291
Tasmania 2,698
Western Australia 2,090
Queensland 1,625
ACT (Canberra) 95
Northern Territory 8

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Parkin.

Who carried it

People named Parkin,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Parkin
    William Parkin 1801–1889 · politician
  • George Robert Parkin
    George Robert Parkin 1846–1922 · journalist
  • Charles Parkin 1689–1765 · writer
  • John Parkin 1801–1886 · physician
  • John Buckworth Parkin 1816–1875 · lawyer
  • George Parkin 1864–1933 · cricketer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Parkin,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States596 records

596 records of the Parkin name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 191
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 121
  • Other U.S. records 284
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph W. Parkin

    Born 1911 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1942 at Philadelphia; aircraft worker. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1963, buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Harold Leslie Parkin

    Born 1947; from Pontiac, Michigan. U.S. Army, infantryman; died of wounds 1969 in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eliza Parkin

    Arrived at New York in 1883 aboard the Cornwall from Bristol, aged 28; domestic. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 596 records for Parkin in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia559 records

559 records of the Parkin name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 264
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 147
  • Other Australian records 148
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record George Parkin

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Persian, sailing from Falmouth in 1830. Native of Everton, Nottinghamshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1835.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Arthur Parkin

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Kennington, as an infant; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Roy H. Parkin

    Enlisted in 1915. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

    City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)

Showing 3 of 559 records for Parkin in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

United Kingdom72 records

72 records of the Parkin name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 61
  • Stirling Council burial records 8
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ralph Parkin

    Died 1960, aged 75; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. W. Parkin

    Driver, Royal Engineers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Parkin

    Died 1992, aged 37; buried at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 72 records for Parkin in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada46 records

46 records of the Parkin name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 11
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 11
  • Other Canadian records 24
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Villiot Parkin

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Nesbitt, bound for Port Mattoon, aged 27.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Geo Parkin

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Circassian, landing at Halifax, bound for London, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record David Louise Parkin

    Buried in 2000 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 41.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 46 records for Parkin in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand29 records

29 records of the Parkin name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 26
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hannah Parkin

    Died 1913, aged 62; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frank Parkin

    Died 1980, aged 72; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Julia Parkin

    Died 1907; buried at Kaiapoi Anglican Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 29 records for Parkin in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands14 records

14 records of the Parkin name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 9
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Cornelia Parkin

    Died 1839 in Utrecht, aged 51.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record George Parkin

    Married in 1945 in Oss.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Sheba Parkin

    In the population register of Dawdon, England; born 1911 in Dawdon, England.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Parkin in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France2 records

2 records of the Parkin name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Alec Alfred Parkin

    Born 1911 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Périgueux (Dordogne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Parkin in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Parkin.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Parkin 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.

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