Find out how popular the last name Par is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Par.

Par, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Par surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Par in America

Par is the 23978th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Par surname appeared 1,052 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Par.

We can also compare 2010 data for Par to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Par

The surname PAR originated in France during medieval times. It is derived from the Old French word "par" meaning "equal" or "peer". The name likely referred to someone who held a position of equal rank or status.

In the 12th century, the name appears in records from the region of Normandy, France. One of the earliest recorded instances is Ricardus Par in the Dives Roll of 1195, a list of Norman nobles and landowners. Other early spellings include Pare, Paire, and Pere.

The name PAR is also found in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry "Walter Par" is listed as holding lands in Lincolnshire.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John Par, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He was born around 1260 in Northamptonshire, England.

During the 15th century, the PAR surname spread to other parts of Europe. In Germany, the spelling "Paar" emerged, likely influenced by the German word "Paar" meaning "pair" or "couple".

One of the earliest recorded instances in Scotland is William Par, who was granted lands in Ayrshire in 1450 by King James II.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure was John Par (1517-1575), an English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal under King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable bearer was Sir William Par (1572-1637), an English politician and Member of Parliament who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1635.

The PAR surname has been carried by many other individuals throughout history, including authors, artists, scientists, and military leaders across various countries and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Par

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Par.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Par was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Par has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Par was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Par, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!