This most interesting and unusual name is most likely of English topographical or occupational origin for one who lived near a park or for someone who worked in, or was in charge of one of the King's parks. Thus the name may be a shortened from of the Middle English and Old French word 'parc', park, plus the prefix 'atte', meaning 'at the'. Later the 'tte' was dropped with the remaining 'a' becoming attached to 'parc', as a result of dialectal pronunciations. The surname is first recorded in London in the late 16th Century (see below). Topographical names were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the Middle Ages. Job descriptive names originally denoted the occupation of the bearer and usually became Hereditary. George Aparke married Jone Webb on November 24th, 1589 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney. John Aparke married Katheran Inwood on November 3rd, 1601 at St. Michael's, Aldershot, Hampshire. Elizabeth Apark married John Keene on March 28th 1799 in London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Willim Aparke, christening witness, which was dated March 8th 1589, St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, 'Good Queen Bess', 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.