FAMILY HISTORY AND STORIES
Origin Of The Parker Name
The most common 2,000 surnames in the United States ranks the name Parker 42nd. The last time we looked, there were an estimated 299,800 persons with the name Parker.
The following are excerpts from Book: American Surnames (brought to America from the British Isle and Eastern Europe)
Forests or woods were always within the immediate confines of the manor or nearby. They belonged to the lord who received fees from the serfs for allowing them to gather firewood or timber in building or repairing their houses. As the inhabitants of the village had few compunctions against trespassing on lord's preserves, forest wardens or gamekeepers were required. In many manors the serf could take all dry wood lying on the ground as well as any he could knock down with poles or hooks. This gave us the phrase 'by hook or by crook." In England the forest wardens might be called Forster, Forester, Foster, Frost, Woodward, Woodruff, or Woodman. A mounted guardian of the forest would be Rider or Ryder.
If he had charge of the lord's park, an enclosed forest or woods, the name might become Parker or Parkman; Warren and Warner were employed to watch over the game in a park. Warner also designates the descendant of Warner "protecting warrior," an Old English personal name. The Irish gamekeeper might be named Forristall, and the French counterpart would be Verdier. There were many woods in Germany belonging to the estates of the nobility and the guardians would be called Forester, Heintzleman or Heinemann. If they just took care of the shrubs or bushes, the name might be Stoudemire or Staudenmaier
Some servants who worked for the serfs as well as the lord were, in some manors, elected by them. There was the Hayward or Hayman who bad nothing to do with hay but who had charge of the hedges or fences, protected the cultivated land, and impounded straying cattle found damaging the lord's fields. He also often supervised the plows and harrows and assisted the reeve.
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