Parsons Surname

3,304th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 170,219 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
British Virgin Islands

Parsons Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the parson's son'; compare Taylorson, Hindson, Smithson, Clerkson, &c. A small but distinct class of surnames. Parsons is genitive; compare Williams, Jones, &c.

Clemens fil. Persone, Norfolk, 1273.

Read More About This Surname

Parsons Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States86,1311:4,208468
England36,8031:1,514163
Canada17,5701:2,097228
Australia15,3641:1,757217
South Africa3,5171:15,4051,942
Wales2,8931:1,07096
New Zealand2,4091:1,880249
Ireland7001:6,727992
Scotland6691:8,0031,187
Argentina3791:112,7799,518
France3011:220,67334,242
Jamaica2951:9,7291,057
Thailand2721:259,70044,253
Cayman Islands2401:26640
Spain2171:215,44714,471
Saudi Arabia1991:155,05422,057
Zimbabwe1641:94,13613,392
Northern Ireland1581:11,6771,751
British Virgin Islands1541:20540
Germany1501:536,70344,788
Singapore1161:47,4801,839
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1101:1,024236
Trinidad and Tobago831:16,4332,039
Japan761:1,682,16225,629
Switzerland711:115,67511,889
Netherlands621:272,37433,874
Kuwait481:79,1819,331
Portugal471:221,6658,706
United States Virgin Islands471:2,348405
Brazil461:4,653,790122,015
Dominican Republic461:226,8038,136
Liberia461:95,8387,727
Sweden441:223,79015,522
Philippines381:2,664,164134,326
Chile371:476,12112,335
Guernsey371:1,742400
Isle of Man361:2,384463
Mexico351:3,546,46324,778
Bermuda311:2,106336
Colombia311:1,541,09910,974
Malta301:14,342837
Estonia271:48,9569,235
Norway261:197,78022,769
Greece251:443,19258,048
Sierra Leone251:283,585406
Botswana221:99,40615,343
Russia221:6,551,048261,263
Denmark211:268,79620,394
Malaysia211:1,404,48759,312
Luxembourg201:29,0275,175
Panama171:230,1336,157
Ecuador161:994,11514,535
Iraq161:2,188,85319,343
China151:91,154,7714,767
Finland141:392,62226,475
Honduras121:734,7044,016
United Arab Emirates111:832,93427,512
Gibraltar101:3,395741
Fiji91:99,3771,883
Hong Kong91:815,0543,802
Indonesia91:14,694,355460,137
Czechia81:1,329,18491,312
Hungary81:1,227,03553,030
Jersey81:12,4002,398
South Korea81:6,405,0321,091
India71:109,580,769786,157
Antigua and Barbuda61:16,5281,436
Israel61:1,426,27275,466
Italy61:10,192,781121,657
Peru61:5,297,35436,458
Poland61:6,334,792156,558
Qatar61:393,00055,922
Belgium51:2,299,329106,824
Kenya51:9,235,98055,978
Samoa41:48,452659
Vanuatu41:65,8191,151
Vietnam41:23,161,5143,610
Austria31:2,838,47893,604
Barbados31:95,8161,797
Costa Rica31:1,593,3568,177
Gambia31:641,150991
Malawi31:5,706,37034,070
Norfolk Island31:765177
Bahamas21:195,8761,708
Mozambique21:13,630,7847,358
Oman21:1,843,9869,590
Tanzania21:26,470,806111,653
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
Uganda21:19,519,640189,114
Venezuela21:15,102,03869,873
Zambia21:7,924,96145,994
Algeria11:38,631,551130,422
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Aruba11:103,4772,586
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Bangladesh11:159,356,77326,077
Belize11:355,4743,977
Bosnia and Herzegovina11:3,536,40219,532
Brunei11:418,7313,893
Bulgaria11:6,978,90586,260
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Congo11:4,989,09634,171
Croatia11:4,228,60499,289
Curaçao11:157,2471,313
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Ghana11:27,020,69223,742
Guam11:160,1214,893
Guyana11:762,22114,420
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Latvia11:2,050,04660,295
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Montenegro11:639,5659,092
Montserrat11:4,947471
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Myanmar11:51,937,9852,166
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Nigeria11:177,142,758748,972
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Romania11:20,077,87089,414
Rwanda11:11,364,9785,947
Saint Lucia11:178,7813,800
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Sudan11:37,510,19514,259
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Tajikistan11:8,386,69212,859
Ukraine11:45,522,696503,646
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland4321:10,2541,476
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England20,0141:1,218141
Wales6731:2,330156
Guernsey591:55392
Scotland501:74,8644,249
Jersey131:3,991684
Isle of Man11:54,2692,077
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States18,2201:2,756308

Parsons (270) may also be a first name.

Parsons Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the parson's son'; compare Taylorson, Hindson, Smithson, Clerkson, &c. A small but distinct class of surnames. Parsons is genitive; compare Williams, Jones, &c.

Clemens fil. Persone, Norfolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

William Parson, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

John Personson, Pardons Roll, 6 Richard II.

Johannes Parsonson, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Isabel Parsones, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

1570. Married —Thomas Parsons and Agnes Smythe: St. James, Clerkenwell.

1775. Married — William Horrex and Ann Parsonson: St. George, Hanover Square.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Some Irish families called Parsons may be of Gaelic origin. In the Tudor Fiants we frequently meet MacEparson, MacParson etc. In Scotland this name became MacPherson.

Supplement to Irish Families (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

The Parson’s (Son): v. Parson1.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

An Anglo-Irish family of note settled at Birr (Parsonstown) at the end of the sixteenth century. IF 298; SIF 161

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(Welsh, English) The son of the parson; the son of Par, a pet form of Peter (rock).

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

In t. Eliz. Christopher and John P., alias Frowde, occur in Wilts, also Richard Parsons (Proceedings in Chanc.). In 1318 John Parsons had been bailsman for an M.P. for Wilton, Wilts (Parliamentary Writs); Matilda Persona paid talliage, Norfolk, t. Richard I. (Rotulus Cancellarii), and the name seems to have come from Normandy, fort. Philip Augustus Odo Persona held lands in Normandy (MSAN, v. 181), and the family of De La Personne long continued there. Hence the Parsons, Earls of Rosse.

The Norman People (1874)

Parsons. —A striking example of a purely south of England name, not to be found in my list north of a line drawn west from the Wash. It is represented in most of the southern counties, but its great home is in Wilts, whilst it is also numerous in most of the counties around this centre, namely, in Somerset, Dorset, Hants, Oxfordshire, and Monmouthshire.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Parsons Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Parsons Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Parsons (Georgian: პარსონს, Russian: Парсонс) is most common in The United States. It can also appear in the variant forms:. For other possible spellings of Parsons click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Parsons? popularity and diffusion

The surname Parsons is the 3,304th most numerous surname globally. It is borne by approximately 1 in 42,813 people. Parsons is mostly found in The Americas, where 59 percent of Parsons live; 59 percent live in North America and 58 percent live in Anglo-North America. It is also the 541,116th most widespread given name in the world It is held by 270 people.

It is most common in The United States, where it is held by 86,131 people, or 1 in 4,208. In The United States Parsons is most common in: California, where 8 percent reside, Texas, where 7 percent reside and Ohio, where 6 percent reside. Apart from The United States this surname exists in 129 countries. It is also found in England, where 22 percent reside and Canada, where 10 percent reside.

Parsons Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Parsons has changed through the years. In The United States the share of the population with the last name grew 473 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 184 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 430 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it grew 162 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Scotland it grew 1,338 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Parsons Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the surname is predominantly Catholic (59%) in Ireland.

In The United States Parsons are 14.51% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 61.28% registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Parsons earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 57.63% more than the national average, earning 545,529 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 54.1% more than the national average, earning R 366,204 per year; in Colombia they earn 68.77% more than the national average, earning $38,316,100 COP per year; in United States they earn 0.12% more than the national average, earning $43,202 USD per year and in Canada they earn 0.01% more than the national average, earning $49,690 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Pearsons93393/
Parson's935/
Parsonns934/
Parsonss932/
Parsions932/
Parsoins931/
Parsouns931/
Parsonse931/
Parrsons931/
Pasrsons931/
Pparsons931/
Parssons931/
Pairsons930/
Persons865,366/
Parsans8612/
Parsoms864/
Parzons863/
Porsons862/
Parsuns861/
Parsonsová821/
Persoons801,878/
Poirsons801/
Perssons800/
Peirsons800/
Phersons800/
Peersons800/
Phersoons750/
Persans7120/
Parcans711/
Parsams710/
Parshams671/
Pourshams50372/
Parchance500/

Parsons Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Parsons in the Georgian language
პარსონსparsons-
Parsons in the Russian language
Парсонсparsons-

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Parsons Reference & Research

Parsons DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Parsons FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Parsons
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis