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Show ContentsParkinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The ancestors of the name Parkinson are thought to have lived among the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from the baptismal name for the son of Peter. In the religious naming tradition surnames were bestowed in honor of religious figures or church officials. In Europe, the Christian Church was one of the most powerful influences on the formation of given names. Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries. In the Middle Ages, they became increasingly popular because people believed that the souls of the deceased continued to be involved in this world. They named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint. In this case the surname Parkinson was taken from the ever popular St. Peter.

Early Origins of the Parkinson family

The surname Parkinson was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Parkinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Parkinson research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1567, 1650 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Parkinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parkinson Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Parkinson include Parkinson, Parkinsone, Parkison and others.

Early Notables of the Parkinson family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • John Parkinson (1567-1650) was one of the greatest English herbalists and apothecary to James...

Parkinson World Ranking

In the United States, the name Parkinson is the 3,524th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Parkinson is ranked the 543rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,120 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Parkinson is the 300th popular surname with an estimated 2,029 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Parkinson as 328th with 18,609 people. 4

Ireland Migration of the Parkinson family to Ireland

Some of the Parkinson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Parkinson migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Parkinson were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Parkinson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Dorothie Parkinson, who landed in Virginia in 1622 5
  • Dorothy Parkinson and her husband, who arrived in Virginia in 1623
  • Dorothy Parkinson, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 5
  • Anne Parkinson and her husband, who settled in Virginia in 1682
Parkinson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Parkinson, who landed in New England in 1744 5
  • Mary Parkinson, who settled in Charles Town in 1766
  • John Parkinson, who settled in Maryland in 1774
Parkinson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Parkinson, who arrived in New York in 1803 5
  • Alexander Parkinson, who arrived in South Carolina in 1808 5
  • Willis Parkinson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
  • Richard Parkinson, aged 57, who landed in New York in 1868 5
  • George Parkinson, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 5

Canada Parkinson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Parkinson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Eliza Parkinson, aged 75 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Coromandel" departing 13th May 1847 from Dublin, Ireland; the ship arrived on 2nd July 1847 but she died on board 6

Australia Parkinson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Parkinson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Richard Parkinson, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Edward Parkinson, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • Mr. Peter Parkinson, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. George Parkinson who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Mr. William Henry Parkinson, English convict who was convicted in Nottinghamshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Parkinson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Parkinson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Parkinson, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 12
  • Mr. Parkinson, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rajah" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 6th October 1853 13
  • Mrs. Parkinson, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rajah" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 6th October 1853 13
  • Miss E. Parkinson, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rajah" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 6th October 1853 13
  • Miss Isabella Parkinson, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1858 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Parkinson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14
Parkinson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • James Parkinson, who settled in Barbados in 1635
  • James Parkinson, aged 23, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 5
  • Mr. James Parkinson, (b. 1612), aged 23, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 15

Contemporary Notables of the name Parkinson (post 1700) +

  • William D. "Don" Parkinson (1942-2020), American politician and lawyer, Speaker of the Guam Legislature from 1995 to 1997
  • Mark A. Parkinson, American Republican politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives 105th District; Elected 2012 16
  • Joseph M. Parkinson, American politician, Mayor of Rexburg, Idaho, 1949-51 16
  • James A. Parkinson, American politician, Circuit Judge in Michigan 4th Circuit, 1904-29 16
  • Henry D. Parkinson, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Kansas 5th District, 1948; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1956 16
  • Gaylord Parkinson, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for California, 1968 16
  • Fred S. Parkinson, American politician, Mayor of Rexburg, Idaho, 1915-17 16
  • Frank A. Parkinson, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Lawton, Oklahoma, 1909-13 16
  • Edwin Parkinson, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State Senate 26th District, 1978 16
  • Chauncey W. Parkinson, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 46th District, 1927-34; Defeated, 1934 16
  • ... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Charles Richard Parkinson, British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 17
  • Mr. Frederick George Parkinson (d. 1914), British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17
  • Miss Letitia Parkinson (1881-1914), Irish Third Class Passenger from Dublin, Ireland who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Hudson Parkinson, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 18
  • Mr. Parkinson, British Corporal, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 18
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Jack Parkinson, British Stoker 2ne Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 19
  • Mr. George Parkinson, British Officers Steward, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 19
HMS Royal Oak
  • George Henry Parkinson (d. 1939), British Chief Ordnance Artificer 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 20
Mount Mulligan Mine
  • Thomas E. Parkinson, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921

Suggested Readings for the name Parkinson +

  • Timothy Parkinson and Ann Fielding by Virginia Parkinson.
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  4. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 92)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  15. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  17. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  18. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  19. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  20. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
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