Parmer
A surname that likely began as a spelling variant of Palmer, though in some cases it may reflect local surname variation or transcription shifts.
The #6,716 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,393 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Parmer is most likely a variant spelling of Palmer, a medieval English surname for someone who had returned from a pilgrimage carrying a palm branch or palm token. In older records, spellings often shifted by sound and local pronunciation, so Parmer may simply represent a regional or clerical form of the same name. Because the excerpt provided is only an incidental mention and not a full etymological entry, this explanation should be treated as probable rather than certain.
History
Parmer appears in English-language records as a less common form, and modern bearers are often found in the United States. The name is rare enough that it may have arisen independently in more than one family line through spelling variation from Palmer. Without a direct historical entry for Parmer, its documented history remains limited.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because medieval spelling was highly flexible, a surname could drift between forms like Palmer and Parmer in parish registers without the family necessarily changing its name intentionally.
From the historical record
“ijio, — John Dicker and Charlotte Parmer : St Geo. Han. So. iiL 307. London, 14; Philadelphia, 2\ New York, 3. Diokenon.— Bapt ' the son of”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)