Parrish
A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "parish" or "parish priest".
Name Census estimates that about 2,963 living Americans carry the first name Parrish. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 84.9% of registrations being male. The average person named Parrish today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Parrish births was 1966 (134 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Parrish. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
3.0K
~ 1 in 115,678 Americans
Peak year
1966
134 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,137
Tracked since 1943
Gender
Gender distribution for Parrish
Parrish leans heavily male at 84.9% of total registrations, but 478 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Parrish as a male name
- Ranked #8,137 in 2024
- 10 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1966 (124 births)
Parrish as a female name
- Ranked #14,866 in 2022
- 6 female births in 2022
- Peak: 1992 (26 births)
Popularity
Parrish: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Parrish from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 870 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Parrish by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Parrish during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Parrishs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. Illinois, New York, California recorded the most babies named Parrish, while Massachusetts, Tennessee, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 55 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Parrish
The name Parrish is believed to have its origins in the Old French language, derived from the word "paroisse," which means "parish" or "church district." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to refer to someone who lived near or worked in a parish or church.
In the early Middle Ages, the name Parrish likely emerged as a surname or family name, indicating a person's association with a particular parish or church community. As surnames became more common, the name Parrish gradually transitioned into a given name, particularly in English-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parrish can be found in the Domesday Book, a remarkable survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with the surname "Parrich" or similar spellings, indicating the name's presence in England during the 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Parrish. One of the earliest was Parrish of Wittington, an English landowner and nobleman who lived in the 13th century. Another early bearer of the name was Parrish de Bourne, a 14th-century English clergyman and scholar.
In the 16th century, Parrish Gresham (1512-1579) was an influential English merchant and financier who played a crucial role in establishing the Royal Exchange in London. His contributions to the city's economic and financial development were significant.
During the American Revolutionary War, Parrish Perkins (1752-1825) served as a lieutenant in the Continental Army and fought bravely in several battles against the British forces.
In the 19th century, Parrish Maxfield (1870-1966) was a renowned American illustrator and painter, best known for his idyllic depictions of childhood and his contributions to the Golden Age of Illustration.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Parrish, highlighting its longevity and presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Parrish + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Parrish as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Parrish: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Parrish?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,963 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Parrish going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 115,678 US residents.
Is Parrish a common name?
We classify Parrish as "Rare". It ranks above 95.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,175 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Parrish most popular?
The single biggest year for Parrish was 1966, when 134 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Parrish is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Parrish a male name?
Yes, 84.9% of people registered as Parrish in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.