Systems for parsing an XML data stream are described. In one embodiment, the system is configured to receive an XML data stream comprising one or more element tags and determine whether an element tag contains a namespace declaration. The system creates one or more namespace objects if an element tag contains one or more respective namespace declarations, each namespace object corresponding to one namespace declaration. The system associates namespace objects with one another if more than one namespace object is created and associates each namespace object with a dictionary that contains one or more entries that are associated with an element tag.