2000
#2,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.98
Uncommon Last name
Parr
Derived from the Old English word pearroc, referring to an enclosure or park keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,976 Americans carry the last name Parr. That puts it at #2,259 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,067 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parr 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 Parr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,067
Census rank
#2,259
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,676 bearers of the surname Parr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2259th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parr, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parr
The surname Parr originates from the Old English pre 7th century word "pearroc" meaning a small enclosed area or park. The name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and first emerged in England during the medieval period.
The earliest known recordings of the surname Parr date back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The name is believed to have derived from various place names across England such as Parre in Somerset, Parr in Lancashire, and Parr in Shropshire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Parr was William Parr, who was born in 1434 in Kendal, Westmorland, England. He served as a Member of Parliament for Westmorland in 1461 and was also a prominent landowner in the region.
Catherine Parr, born in 1512 and died in 1548, was perhaps the most famous individual with this surname. She was the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England and is renowned for her role in promoting the English Reformation and her advocacy for religious tolerance.
Sir William Parr, born in 1484 and died in 1547, was the younger brother of Catherine Parr and served as a prominent courtier and military commander during the reign of Henry VIII. He played a significant role in the English Reformation and was appointed as the first Marquess of Northampton in 1547.
Another notable individual with the surname Parr was Richard Parr, born in 1617 and died in 1691. He was an English politician and served as a Member of Parliament for Bridport in Dorset during the 17th century.
Thomas Parr, born in 1483 and died in 1635, is often referred to as "Old Parr" and is believed to have been one of the longest-lived individuals in recorded history, allegedly reaching the age of 152 years. While the exact details of his life are disputed, he gained fame in his later years and was even presented to King Charles I.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parr
Among Census respondents with the surname Parr, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Parr 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 Parr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 13,442
- Black or African American5.0% · 790
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 607
- Two or more races3.7% · 581
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 151
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parr
Parr 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
#2,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,286
+166 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 5.52
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#2,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,676
-610 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 5.24
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,057 | 16,120 | 5.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,239 | 16,286 | 5.52 | +166 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #2,259 | 15,676 | 5.24 | -610 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 20 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 Parr 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 | #2,239 | #2,259 | -0.9% |
| Count | 16,286 | 15,676 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.52 | 5.24 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parr bearers went from 16,286 to 15,676 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,239 to #2,259.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Parr
FAQ
Parr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parr?
Name Census estimates that about 17,976 living Americans carry the surname Parr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,067 residents.
How common is Parr?
Parr ranks #2,259 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,676 people with the surname Parr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,976), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Parr.
Has Parr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parr went from 16,286 recorded bearers to 15,676. That is a decrease of 610 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,239 to #2,259.
What does the Census say about the background of Parr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parr, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Parr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (13,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (5.0%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Parr (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 Parr mean?
Derived from the Old English word pearroc, referring to an enclosure or park keeper. 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 Parr (5.24 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 Parr?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Parr on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.