An English surname the Parsons family name refers to an individual who worked in a parsonage, for a clergyman. The Middle English terms were ‘persone’ and ‘parsoun’.
A spelling variation for Parsons is Parson. A Scottish form of Parsons would be McPherson. In England the Parson families originated in the Buckinghamshire area. From there they spread to Somerset, Devon, Wiltshire, Surrey, Hampshire and the city of London. The counties of Lanarkshire, Aberdeenshire, Stirlingshire and Midlothian in Scotland have the most individuals with the Parsons name. Within the United States the Parsons families live primarily in Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, California, Kentucky, Connecticut and Michigan. Famous: Charles Algernon Parsons (English inventor of the steam turbine), Bill Parsons (professional baseball player), Clere Parsons (poet from England), David Parsons (race car driver from Australia), Estelle Parsons (movie film actress), George Parsons (18th century ship builder from England), Louella Parsons (gossip and social columnist), Robert Parsons (16th century music composer of England) and Willy Parsons (comic and actor).