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

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In ancient Scotland, Parkes was a Strathclyde-Briton name for someone who lived someone who lived near a park. The surname comes from the Old English word, parc. "Richard, William, Sylvester, John, Robert, Philip de Parco, [were listed in] Normandy 1180-95." 1

Early Origins of the Parkes family

The surname Parkes was first found in Cumberland, where they held a family seat from early times. One of the first records of the name was when Rober de Parco witnessed a charter by Earl David (c.1202-07) and later witnessed another charter by Walter Olifard (c. 1210.) 2

Further to the south in England, early listings in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include John del Pare in Suffolk, 1273 and later, Roger atte Parke was listed in the Writs of Parliament of 1301. 3

Early History of the Parkes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Parkes research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1500, 1669, 1695, 1697, 1706, 1710 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Parkes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parkes Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Parkes has been spelled Park, Parke, Parks, Parkes and others.

Early Notables of the Parkes family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Parkes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parkes World Ranking

In the United States, the name Parkes is the 12,360th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Parkes is ranked the 781st most popular surname with an estimated 4,979 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Parkes is the 505th popular surname with an estimated 1,363 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Parkes as 533rd with 12,321 people. 7

Ireland Migration of the Parkes family to Ireland

Some of the Parkes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Parkes migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

Parkes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Parkes, who landed in Virginia in 1642 8
  • Robert Parkes, who arrived in Maryland in 1651 8
  • Prescilla Parkes, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 8
  • Ambrose Parkes, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 8
Parkes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Anne Parkes, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 8
Parkes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Edward Parkes, aged 3, who landed in New York in 1854 8
  • James Parkes, aged 16, who arrived in New York in 1854 8
  • Andy Parkes, aged 40, who landed in New York in 1854 8
  • Richard Parkes, aged 14, who landed in New York in 1854 8
  • Mary Parkes, aged 18, who arrived in New York in 1854 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Parkes migration to Australia +

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

Parkes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Parkes, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. George Parkes, English convict who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • Mr. William Parkes, (b. 1811), aged 23, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • James Parkes, English convict from Chester, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12
  • Mr. Thomas Parkes, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Parkes 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:

Parkes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Parkes, aged 45, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
  • Charles Samuel Parkes, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
  • Henry Parkes, aged 18, a grocer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
  • Catherine Hannah Parkes, aged 15, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
  • George Parkes, aged 13, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Parkes (post 1700) +

  • Walter F. Parkes (b. 1951), American film producer, writer and former studio head
  • Janet Parkes, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1984 14
  • Charles F. III Parkes, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 1st District, 2010; Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 6th District, 2012 14
  • Mr. Abraham Parkes, British sheriff, held the position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1921 to 1922
  • Michael Johnson Parkes (b. 1931), British racing driver
  • Gerard Parkes, Irish Canadian actor
  • Tom Parkes (b. 1992), English professional football player
  • Jordan David Parkes (b. 1989), English professional association footballer
  • Philip Benjamin Neil Frederick Parkes (b. 1950), former English football goalkeeper
  • Harry Smith Parkes (1828-1885), British consul in China and Japan
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMAS Sydney II
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. John Allan Parkes, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 16
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. William Henry Parkes, Canadian 3rd Class passenger from Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 17
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Francis Parkes (d. 1912), aged 21, Irish Plumber from Belfast, Ireland who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 18
  • Mr. Francis "Frank" Parkes (d. 1912), aged 18, Irish Second Class passenger from Belfast, Ireland who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 18
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Harry Edward Parkes, American Boatswain's Mate First Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 19
  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  6. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  12. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  14. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  15. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  16. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  17. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  18. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
  19. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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