Contents [hide]

Parmenter History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Parmenter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Parmenter reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Parmenter family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest in 1066. Parmenter is a name for a tailor. 1 2

Not all of the family moved to England as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae notes that John and Ranulph Parmentarius (Latin form of the name) were recorded there 1180-1195 3

Early Origins of the Parmenter family

The surname Parmenter was first found in Leicestershire where Robert Parmenter was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1177. A few years later in Kent, Vmridus Parmentier was recorded in Pipe Rolls of 1198 and later again, William le Parmenter was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for Oxfordshire in 1204. In Worcestershire, Robert le Parminter was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1221 and in Cambridgeshire, Thomas le Parmeter was recorded c. 1250. Mancerus le Parmenter was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included entries for: Ralphle Parmenter, Cambridgeshire; Robert Parmintre, Oxfordshire; and Walter le Parmunter, Salop (Shropshire.) 5

Early rolls in Somerset included entries for John Permonter, Somerset; Roger Permonter; and John le Permonter. All entries were noted 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 6

In Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 noted Isabella Parmeter; and Johannes Parmenter as holding lands there at that time. 5

Early History of the Parmenter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Parmenter research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1275, 1658, 1671, 1676 and 1730 are included under the topic Early Parmenter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parmenter Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Parmenter are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Parmenter include Parmenter, Parminster, Parmenster, Parminter, Parmiter, Parmunter, Perminter, Parmunter, Parmintew and many more.

Early Notables of the Parmenter family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was James (Jacques) Parmentier (1658-1730), painter, born in France in 1658, was nephew of the celebrated painter, Sebasté Bourdon, who encouraged and gave him instruction in drawing, and would have done more for him but for his death in 1671. After some further instruction from a relation, Parmentier came to England in September 1676, to work under J. C. De La Fosse, the decorative painter, who was then engaged in painting the ceilings at the Duke of Montagu's house in Bloomsbury, for which Parmentier laid in the dead colours. He was then sent over...
Another 146 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Parmenter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parmenter Ranking

In the United States, the name Parmenter is the 7,879^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Parmenter migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Parmenter, or a variant listed above:

Parmenter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John and Robert Parmenter, who arrived in Boston in 1630
Benjamin Parmenter, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 8
John Parmenter, who arrived in New England in 1640 8
Robert Parmenter, who arrived in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1650 8

Parmenter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Parmenter, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1846 8

Parmenter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Parmenter Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Joel D Parmenter, who landed in Canada in 1832
James W Parmenter, who landed in Canada in 1836
James Whitcomb Parmenter, who arrived in Canada in 1839

Parmenter migration to Australia +

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

Parmenter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Parmenter, (Parmeter), (b. 1790), aged 25, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1836 9
John Parmenter, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Steadfast" 10
William Parmenter, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Steadfast" 10

Parmenter 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:

Parmenter Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Alfred Parmenter, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "John Masterman" in 1857
Mary Parmenter, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "John Masterman" in 1857
M. A. Parmenter, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "John Masterman" in 1857
Ann Y. Parmenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred The Great" in 1859
William Robert Parmenter, aged 31, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Anne Longton" in 1860 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Parmenter (post 1700) +

Roswell A. Parmenter (1821-1904), American lawyer, New York State Senator (1874-1875)
William Parmenter (1789-1866), American politician, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts (1837-1845)
Ezra Parmenter (1823-1873), American politician, 13th Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1867-1868), Member of the Massachusetts State Senate
Steven James Parmenter (b. 1977), English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Bristol Rovers
Terrence Leslie Parmenter (b. 1947), English former professional association football player
Ian Richard Parmenter OAM (1945-2024), London-born, Australian celebrity chef, winemaker, and author who emigrated to Australia in 1971
Amy Parmenter (b. 1997), Australian netball player in the Suncorp Super Netball league, playing for Giants Netball
Ross Parmenter (1912-1999), Canadian writer, journalist and news editor and staff writer at The New York Times for 30 years
Doug Parmenter (b. 1987), British musician, songwriter, record producer and film-maker from Reading, Berkshire
John Parmenter Robarts PC CC QC (1917-1982), Canadian lawyer and statesman, 17th Premier of Ontario (1961-1971), eponym of the Robarts Library, University of Toronto

The Parmenter Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Deo favente
Motto Translation: By the favour of God.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEADFAST 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/steadfast1852.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html