2000
#5,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,882
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Pardue
Derived from Middle English meaning a small enclosure or paddock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,356 Americans carry the last name Pardue. That puts it at #5,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,926 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pardue surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,926
Census rank
#5,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,543 bearers of the surname Pardue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardue, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pardue
The surname Pardue is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Lancashire. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "pear" and "dyu," which together meant "pear valley" or "pear hill." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in an area known for its pear orchards or near a physical feature with a pear-like shape.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the name, such as Pardieu, Pardewe, and Pardew, appeared in historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. While the surname is not found in the Domesday Book, which was a comprehensive survey of England conducted in 1086, there are instances of it being mentioned in other ancient manuscripts and documents from that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Pardue dates back to the 13th century, when a William Pardue was documented in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279. Another early record comes from the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273, where a John Pardue is mentioned.
In the 16th century, the name appeared to have spread beyond Lancashire to other parts of England. Historical records from this time show individuals with the surname living in places like Yorkshire and Gloucestershire, with spellings such as Pardew and Pardoe.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the surname Pardue. One of the most famous was Sir John Pardue (1513-1592), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was William Pardue (1680-1753), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Bristol, who played a significant role in the city's trade with the American colonies.
Other individuals of note include Mary Pardue (1715-1790), an English writer and poet who published several works in the 18th century, and John Pardue (1820-1885), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became a respected author and historian.
Additionally, the surname Pardue has been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Pardue Hill in Lancashire and Pardue Farm in Yorkshire, likely named after individuals or families with the surname who once resided or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pardue
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardue, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pardue bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pardue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 4,825
- Black or African American5.0% · 277
- Two or more races4.0% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 169
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pardue
Pardue appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,940
+58 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 379 places
2020
#5,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,543
-397 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,442 | 5,882 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,821 | 5,940 | 2.01 | +58 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 379 places |
| 2020 | #5,979 | 5,543 | 1.85 | -397 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 158 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pardue surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,821 | #5,979 | -2.7% |
| Count | 5,940 | 5,543 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.85 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pardue bearers went from 5,940 to 5,543 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,821 to #5,979.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pardue
FAQ
Pardue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pardue?
Name Census estimates that about 6,356 living Americans carry the surname Pardue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,926 residents.
How common is Pardue?
Pardue ranks #5,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,543 people with the surname Pardue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,356), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Pardue.
Has Pardue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pardue went from 5,940 recorded bearers to 5,543. That is a decrease of 397 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,821 to #5,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Pardue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardue, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pardue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (4,825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pardue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (5.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pardue (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pardue mean?
Derived from Middle English meaning a small enclosure or paddock. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pardue (1.85 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Pardue?
Want to know how many people have the last name Pardue? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.