# Parsons (surname)

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

A surname originating as an occupation.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 67,310 |
| US rank (2010) | 498 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 4,587 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.7% (66,203 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɑɹsənz/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

An occupational surname for a child or a servant of a parson. * In the United States adopted by bearers of one or more similar sounding Jewish surnames, and of the Swedish surnames Pärsson and Persson.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Parsons 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) | 91% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

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

## People named Parsons

- Talcott Parsons, American sociologist (1902 – 1979)
- Alan Parsons, British audio engineer, musician, and record producer
- William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, Anglo-Irish astronomer (1800-1867)
- Estelle Parsons, American actress
- Lucy Parsons, American communist anarchist labor organizer (1853–1942)
- Gram Parsons, American singer-songwriter
- Karyn Parsons, American actress, author, and comedian (born 1956)
- Kane Parsons, American filmmaker
- Johnnie Parsons, American racing driver (1918–1984)
- Chandler Parsons, American basketball player (born 1988)
- Louella Parsons, American gossip columnist (1881-1972)
- Jack Parsons, American rocket engineer (1914–1952)

and 24 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Persons, Pearson, Person, Pierson, Parson, Parkinson, Parkin, Parkins, Presson, Persson, Pehrson, Perkins.

## 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.