2010
#101,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Parab
A surname of Indian origin, possibly derived from the Sanskrit word "parad" meaning mercury.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 471 Americans carry the last name Parab. That puts it at #54,177 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 727,716 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parab 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
471
1 in 727,716
Census rank
#54,177
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
411
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 411 bearers of the surname Parab in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54177th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parab, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parab
The surname PARAB originated in India, with roots tracing back to the 9th century AD. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "Parab," which means "one who resides across the river." The name was prevalent among communities living near the banks of major rivers in western and central India.
The earliest recorded instances of the PARAB surname can be found in ancient texts and inscriptions from the Maratha region of Maharashtra. These records suggest that the name was initially associated with families involved in agriculture, trade, and local governance in rural areas along the riverbanks.
During the medieval period, the PARAB surname gained prominence as several individuals bearing this name held influential positions in the military and administrative sectors of various Hindu kingdoms. One notable example is Malhar Rao PARAB, a renowned military commander who served under the Maratha ruler Shivaji in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the PARAB surname appeared in chronicles and records of the Peshwa era, a period when the Maratha Empire dominated a significant portion of the Indian subcontinent. Nana Phadnavis, a prominent statesman and diplomat, born in 1742, was a PARAB by surname and played a crucial role in the administration of the Maratha Confederacy.
The PARAB name was also associated with several literary figures and scholars. Vaman Shastri PARAB, born in 1876, was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and author who contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of ancient Indian literature and philosophy.
Another notable individual bearing the PARAB surname was Krishnaji Prabhakar PARAB, a pioneering social reformer and educationist born in 1858. He dedicated his life to uplifting the underprivileged sections of society and establishing educational institutions across Maharashtra.
As the PARAB community expanded and migrated to different regions of India over the centuries, the surname underwent various spellings and variations, such as Parab, Parrab, and Parabu, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences encountered in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parab
Among Census respondents with the surname Parab, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Parab 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 Parab surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.1% · 395
- White2.4% · 10
- Two or more races1.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parab
Parab appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#54,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 411
+234 bearers (+132.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 47,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #101,737 | 177 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #54,177 | 411 | 0.14 | +234 bearers (+132.2%) | Up 47,560 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 Parab 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 | #101,737 | #54,177 | 46.7% |
| Count | 177 | 411 | 132.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.14 | 129.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parab bearers went from 177 to 411 (+132.2% change). The surname moved up 47,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #101,737 to #54,177.
FAQ
Parab surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parab?
Name Census estimates that about 471 living Americans carry the surname Parab. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 727,716 residents.
How common is Parab?
Parab ranks #54,177 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 411 people with the surname Parab. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Parab.
Has Parab become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parab went from 177 recorded bearers to 411. That is an increase of 234 (+132.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #101,737 to #54,177.
What does the Census say about the background of Parab?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parab, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Parab in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parab appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (96.1%), White (2.4%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Parab (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 Parab mean?
A surname of Indian origin, possibly derived from the Sanskrit word "parad" meaning mercury. 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 Parab (0.14 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 surname Parab?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.