2000
#14,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Parmar
A status surname referring to a person responsible for overseeing land records and collecting revenue during Mughal rule.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,066 Americans carry the last name Parmar. That puts it at #7,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parmar 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Parmar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,658
Census rank
#7,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,418 bearers of the surname Parmar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parmar
The surname PARMAR is of Indian origin, specifically from the region of Rajasthan and Gujarat. It traces its roots back to the 8th century AD, when it was the title given to the ruling clan of the Parmara dynasty, a powerful Rajput dynasty that ruled over parts of present-day Rajasthan and Malwa regions.
The name PARMAR is derived from the Sanskrit word "Pramara," which means "distinguished" or "excellent." The Parmara dynasty was known for its military prowess and their patronage of art, architecture, and literature. Some of the earliest records of the name PARMAR can be found in inscriptions and manuscripts from that era, such as the Navasari copper-plate inscriptions from the 10th century.
One of the most famous figures associated with the name PARMAR is Bhoja, the renowned king of the Parmara dynasty who ruled over the Malwa region in the 11th century. He was a prolific patron of literature and arts, and his court was home to many renowned scholars and poets. Another notable PARMAR was Raja Vigraharaja IV, who reigned over the Chandravati region (present-day Khajuraho) in the 10th century and commissioned the construction of the famous Khajuraho temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During the medieval period, the PARMAR surname was also found among the Rajput clans of Gujarat, particularly in the regions of Saurashtra and Kutch. One notable figure from this era was Khengara Parmar, a Rajput chieftain who played a significant role in the establishment of the Solanki dynasty in Gujarat in the 11th century.
In the 16th century, the PARMAR surname is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari, a detailed administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, which lists them as one of the prominent Rajput clans of the region.
Other notable individuals with the surname PARMAR include Vijayaraja Parmar (1194-1274), a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet from Gujarat, and Sir Shambhunath Parmar (1872-1944), a distinguished Indian civil servant and administrator who served as the Diwan (Prime Minister) of several princely states during the British Raj.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parmar
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Parmar 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 Parmar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander90.5% · 3,999
- White4.1% · 180
- Two or more races2.6% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 48
- Black or African American1.0% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parmar
Parmar 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
#10,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,912
+1,103 bearers (+61.0%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 4,064 places
2020
#7,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,418
+1,506 bearers (+51.7%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 3,658 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,995 | 1,809 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,931 | 2,912 | 0.99 | +1,103 bearers (+61.0%) | Up 4,064 places |
| 2020 | #7,273 | 4,418 | 1.48 | +1,506 bearers (+51.7%) | Up 3,658 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 Parmar 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 | #10,931 | #7,273 | 33.5% |
| Count | 2,912 | 4,418 | 51.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 1.48 | 49.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parmar bearers went from 2,912 to 4,418 (+51.7% change). The surname moved up 3,658 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,931 to #7,273.
FAQ
Parmar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parmar?
Name Census estimates that about 5,066 living Americans carry the surname Parmar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,658 residents.
How common is Parmar?
Parmar ranks #7,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,418 people with the surname Parmar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,066), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Parmar.
Has Parmar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parmar went from 2,912 recorded bearers to 4,418. That is an increase of 1,506 (+51.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,931 to #7,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Parmar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parmar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 90.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Parmar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (3,999 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parmar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (90.5%), White (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Parmar (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 Parmar mean?
A status surname referring to a person responsible for overseeing land records and collecting revenue during Mughal rule. 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 Parmar (1.48 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 have the last name Parmar?
You can see how many people have the surname Parmar on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.