Parker Name Meaning: Origin, Popularity & Nicknames

What Does Parker Mean?

Parker translates from Old French into “keeper of the park,” or in traditional Gaelic means “park guardian.”

What Is the Origin of the Name Parker?

Along with names like Baker and Porter, Parker was one of the original occupational surnames. It is steeped in English origin but derived from an Old French term meaning “keeper of the park,” and later shortened to “park keeper” ⁽¹⁾.

Parker was also a name given to certain gamekeepers in England during the middle ages. As recently as the 1990s, it came into modern popularity and became used as a preppy and sophisticated first name for boys and girls.

How Popular Is the Name Parker?

Parker is a very popular name, especially for boys, and peaked at number 72 in 2015 for the popularity of male births. In 2015, the total number of males born with the name Parker was 5,414, representing around 0.265 percent of all male births that year ⁽²⁾.

How Do I Pronounce Parker?

Parker is pronounced “PAR-ker,” with the first syllable sounding like “bar” and the second syllable sounding with a hard k such as “keys.”

Is Parker a Boy or Girl Name?

Although originating as a surname and moving into popularity as a first name specifically for boys, the name Parker has gained traction in recent years as a first name for girls. In 2021, the name Parker for a girl peaked at number 115, with over two-thousand female births ⁽³⁾.

Variations of Parker

With a simple, two-syllable name rooted in a trade, there aren’t a lot of variations for Parker, other than the following:

• Park
• Parkerson
• Parkhouse
• Parkley
• Parkman
• Parks

Nicknames for Parker

Although Parker is a two-syllable name, it doesn’t have many options for nicknames other than those listed here:

• Park
• Parkie
• Parkito
• Parks
• Parky
• Peanut
• Perkie
• Peter
• Sparks

Similar Names to Parker

These names are in a similar vein to Parker, which is a preppy, often gender-neutral name:

• Archer
• Carson
• Carter
• Colton
• Cooper
• Grayson
• Harper
• Harrison
• Holden
• Hudson
• Hunter
• Jackson
• Landon
• Logan
• Marlon
• Mason
• Paxton
• Ryder
• Sawyer
• Wyatt

Middle Names for Parker

Parker goes well with a simple, one-syllable name such as:

• Beck
• Crew
• Finn
• Greer
• James
• Jett
• Jude
• Kai
• King
• Kit
• Knox
• Lane
• Mac
• Miles
• Nash
• Sage
• Sloane
• Wren
• Wynn
• Zane

Sibling Names for Parker

Parker is a great, strong name, so siblings should have equally sophisticated names. Here are some good sibling names for Parker:

For a Brother:

• Andrew
• Archer
• Conner
• Dermot
• Edward
• Felix
• Grant
• James
• Jasper
• Nolan
• Oliver
• Thomas

For a Sister:

• ​​Bethany
• Blair
• Brooklyn
• Darcy
• Hadley
• Hayden
• Mackenzie
• Morgan
• Rae
• Riley
• Skyler

Famous People Named Parker

Many famous people have been named Parker. Here are some famous people with the first name Parker:

• Parker Cleaveland: American mineralogist and geologist who was born in Rowley, Massachusetts in 1780. He championed the field of natural sciences and became a professor of mathematics, chemistry, and mineralogy at Bowdoin College after graduating from Harvard in 1799.
• Parker Gispert: American lead singer of the band The Whigs, which was formed in 2002 in Athens, Georgia. The band released five albums and toured around the world until disbanding in 2015, leading Parker Gispert into a solo career.
• Parker Johnstone: American racecar driver and motorsports announcer hailing from Redmond, Oregon.
• Parker Lee McDonald: American justice of the Florida Supreme Court who resided on the bench from 1979 to 1994.
• Parker Posey: American actress best known for her roles in Dazed and Confused, The House of Yes, and A Mighty Wind. She has also performed on Broadway and wrote a book titled You’re on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir, which received critical acclaim.

Parker in Popular Culture

The name Parker is most notable for the masked superhero, Peter Parker, but also turns up in other popular culture media, such as:

• Charlie Parker: Private detective created by John Connolly
• Kai Parker: character played by Chris wood in The Vampire Diaries
• Parker: character written by Donal E. Westlake for novel, comics, and later a movie of the same name with Jason Statham starring in the lead role.
• Parker Lewis: the main character portrayed by Corin Nemec in the 1990s sitcom Parker Lewis Can’t Lose.
• Parker Selfridge: character played by Giovanni Ribisi in the film Avatar.
• Parker the butler: character in Lady Windermere’s Fan written by Oscar Wilde.
• Peter Parker: Alter ego of Spider-Man.
• Richard Parker: the name given to the character of a tiger in the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

Parker FAQs

Here are some commonly asked questions about the name Parker.