Frequency: (486)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. German (of Slavic origin): from the personal name Part(h)en, ultimately derived from Greek Parthenios, from parthenos ‘virginal’, ‘pure’, ‘undefiled’. This was a name borne by two martyrs of the early Christian Church.
2. Variant of English Parton.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
