# Palmer (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/palmer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English surname transferred from the nickname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 156,601 |
| US rank (2010) | 172 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,972 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.1% (150,407 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɑmɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English palmer (“a pilgrim from the Holy Land”), from Old French.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Palmer in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 75% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 19% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Palmer in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United Kingdom.

## People named Palmer

- Keke Palmer, American actress
- Arnold Palmer, American golfer (1929–2016)
- Teresa Palmer, Australian actress, model, writer and producer (born 1986)
- Amanda Palmer, American musician (born 1976)
- Betsy Palmer, American actress (1926–2015)
- Nathaniel Palmer, American explorer (1799–1877)
- Keegan Palmer, American-Australian goofy-footed professional skateboarder
- Kylie Palmer, Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, world champion, former world record-holder
- Earl Palmer, American drummer (1924–2008)
- Clive Palmer, Australian businessman and politician (born 1954)
- Gregg Palmer, American actor (1927-2015)
- Jim Palmer, American baseball player (born 1945)

and 37 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Plummer, Palmieri, Palmore, Palmeri, Palomera, Palomar, Plumer, Palomares, Palmerin.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.