This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the park,' from residence therein. It must not be forgotten that while Park may be pluralized into Parks and Parkes (compare Bridges, Styles, Sykes, Dykes), it is just as likely that they are abbreviations of Parkins; compare Perkins (v. Parkin).

John del Pare, Suffolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Roger atte Parke, 1301. Writs of Parliament.

William atte Park, Close Rolls, 29 Edward III.

William Aparke was seized of the manor of Parke, Gloucestershire: Visitation of Gloucestershire (Harl. Soc).

1611. Baptised — Eliz , d. Thomas Parkes: St. James, Clerkenwell.

A family of this name held the lands of Perk in the parish of Erskine, from which they derived their name. The family ended in three daughters, co-heiresses, in the reiga of James IV (Crawfurd, p. 114). Robert de Perco witnessed a charter by Earl David, c. 1202-07 (LAC., 5), and c. 1210 witnessed anothei charter by Walter Olifard, junior (SHR., II, p. 175). Sir David de Perco attested a quit-claim by Richard de Bancori to Robert de Brus of the whole land of Loyerwode (Locharwood), a. 1249 (Bain, I, 1684). John of Parc witnessed a mandate by Alexander 111 in 1266 (Milne, p. 3), and a charter by William de Moravia in favor of the House of Soltre, c. 1278-94 (Soltre, p. 39), and another charter by Willelmus de Morauya, panetarius Scocie, 1292 (REG., p. 202). Sir Johan del Park of Berwickshire rendered homage in 1296 and was juror at Berwick in the same year (Bain, II, P. 206,215). Walterus de Park in the parish or Fyvie was excommunicated in 1382 (REA., I, p. 165), and Robert II in the fourth year of his reign confirmed a charter of John, earl of Carrick, to John de Perk of various lands in the barony of Kilbride. Master Gilbert de Perk was rector of the church of Colbwantoun or Colbanton, 1429-30 (REG., p. 322,326), John of Perk was presbyter of Glasgow diocese, 1433 (LCD., p. 248), and James of Perk witnessed an instrument of sasine of lands of Aldcathy (Linlithgowshire), 1436 (HMC., 12. Rep., App. 8, p. 109). Thomas de Perk held land in Aberdeen, 1445 (CRA., p. 15), Finlaus Perk, burgess of Irvine, gave support to a chaplain there, 1455 (Irvine, I, p. 145George Perk had remission for his share in burning the town of Dunbertane, 1489 (Lennox, II, p. 133), and John Park of Dubbs was heir of Alexander Park, his grandfather, 1673 (Retours, Ayr, 588). Mungo Perk (1771-1806), African explorer, was born in Selkirkshire. The surname was common in Glasgow in the sixteenth century. (2) There seems to have been a family of (his name, Chlann ic Phairce, in South Uist, but they "ere nearly extinct here now. I only know one man of that name in the whole of South Uist, where there were many of that name formerly" (Dr. Alexander Carmichael, in J. F. Campbell's Leabhar na Feinne, 1872 p. 200).

1 genit., and pl., of Park(e, q.v.

2 occasionally contraction of Parkins, q.v.

Cp. Perk(e)s.

(English) Dweller near the enclosed space stocked with game for use of the king or great nobles.

From residence near a park. Anciently At-Parke and A Parke. See , however, Peter.

May belong to the series, Park, Parkins, Perkins, Parkinson, &c., from Peter, the Christian name; or may be local, from Parcs, near Pont-l'Eveque, or Parcs, near Alencon, both in Normandy.

From pare, a field, enclosure, park for beasts. There is a place called Park in the parish of St. Clement's.

From les Perques near Valognes, a castle belonging to a branch of the Bertrams of Briquebec. See Gerville, Anciens Chateaux, and Mitford.

Parker is an ancient occupational name. It probably first came to this country with the Norman Conquest, though it possibly existed here prior to 1066. The surname Parker derives from the Old French word ‘parquer’ (‘parchier’), which means ‘park keeper’ or ‘ranger’. The Old French word derives in turn from a Germanic original meaning ‘a park, enclosure, or thinly wooded land kept for beasts of the chase’.

There are several related surnames, such as Parkman, and Parkhouse (place name for a dweller in a house in a park), and Duparc (Norman, meaning ‘of the park’).

Variations on the name Parker include Park, Parke, Parks and Parkes. Park and Parkes are, strictly speaking, place names (i.e. a dweller in a park). However, as often as not they probably indicated someone who worked in a park, and were thus occupational names.

The first reference to the surname Parker is in the Domesday Book records for Somerset where, in 1086, one Anschetel Parcher is listed.

When someone can’t mind his own business, he’s colloquially labelled a ‘nosey parker’. The original was sixteenth-century English clergyman Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury under Queen Elizabeth I, whose critics dubbed him ‘Nosey Parker’ because he kept poking his nose into church matters that weren’t his concern.

One man stood between Abraham Lincoln and assassin John Wilkes Booth-an alcoholic policeman named John Parker, the only guard posted outside the President’s box at Ford’s Theater. Half-way through the evening’s performance he wandered off to get a drink, with consequences that changed the course of American history.

Comanche leader Quanah Parker, son of a chief who had married a white woman captured in childhood, led a year-long Texas rebellion of 700 warriors against the full might of the US cavalry before agreeing to settle on a reservation in 1875. He went on to become a powerful mediator between his people and the whites, spending his last 30 years as a successful businessman while still retaining his Indian culture and beliefs.

British Admiral Sir Hyde Parker sent a withdrawal signal to the Baltic Fleet during the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen. His subordinate, Horatio Nelson, whose small ships had done most of the fighting, put his telescope to his blind eye so he could honestly claim he hadn’t received the order, then went on to win the battle.

Scottish explorer Mungo Park (1771—1806) was the first European to explore the Niger and several other interior regions of Africa.

The United Kingdom has no towns or major geographic features which are related to the name Parker. Canada has a town called Parkerview while the United States has 10 related-name towns and cities (including 5 called Parker) as well as the famous Parker Dam. Australia has a Parker hill, a Parker range and Parker Point while Hong Kong has a Parker mountain.

With about 117,000 namesakes Parker is the 49th most popular surname in England and Wales. (The surname is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) Parker is notably popular in and around Leeds where an estimated one in about 365 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Nottingham, Leicester and Bradford are other Parker strongholds. Around the world Parkers are most common in Sydney (one in 852 families), Wellington (one in 893) and Melbourne (one in 953). The United States has more Parkers than the entire population of Newcastle-an estimated total of just under 339,000 makes this their 49th most popular surname.