# Parsley (surname)

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

A surname from Old French.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,315 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,508 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 48,891 people |
| Change since 2000 | -0.9% (6,374 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Parshley, Parslow |

## Etymology

Altered form, later assimilated by folk etymology to the herb name parsley, of the medieval family name Passelewe, from Old French passer (“to pass”) + la (“the”) + ewe (“water”), probably a nickname for a ferryman or a person who travelled overseas.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Parsley 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) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Similar surnames

Presley, Pressley, Pursley, Parcell, Parsell, Parshall, Presler, Purcell, Pearsall, Pursell, Pressler, Pirkle.

## 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.