Parker
An occupational surname for a park keeper or gamekeeper.
The #56 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 918 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Parker comes from Middle English parker(e), meaning a park keeper or gamekeeper, with the job title ultimately built on the word park plus an agent suffix. In medieval records it appears in forms such as le Parker, le Parcur, and similar spellings. The surname was first applied to people who worked in charge of a lord’s park, especially in England.
History
The name is common in medieval English records and is clearly established as an occupational surname by the 13th and 14th centuries. Later writers note that it could also be connected in some cases with estates or place-based usage, but the main and best-known origin is the park-keeper occupation. Parker became one of the most widespread English surnames and is especially prominent in Britain and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In some older Yorkshire usage, a related term, palister, could mean a parker.
From the historical record
“John del Vaic— Hund. Rolls. Roger atte Parke. — Pari. Writs. PARKER (Eng.) Park-Keeper, Gamekeeper [M.E.parker(e, etc. ; v. under Papk(e, and + the agent, suff. -«?•] Our 13th and 14th cent. Rolls abound with such entries as 'Adam le Parker' and ' Michael le Parcur.' Grayvis [reeves], and baylys [bailiffs], and…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)