2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Parchen
A surname derived from a placename, possibly originating from a village in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Parchen. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parchen 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Parchen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parchen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parchen
The surname Parchen has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Parch" or "Parchen," which refers to a small village or hamlet. This suggests that the name may have originated as a place name, possibly indicating that the first bearers of the name came from a specific location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Parchen can be found in the Ortsfamilienbuch (local family book) of the village of Hausen in Württemberg, Germany, where a family with the surname Parchen is mentioned in the late 1500s. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by that time.
In the 17th century, there are references to individuals with the surname Parchen in various historical documents from various parts of Germany. For example, a man named Johann Parchen is mentioned in the church records of the town of Wittenberg in 1623. Another record from 1678 mentions a Johann George Parchen, a merchant from the city of Leipzig.
One notable figure with the surname Parchen was Johann Friedrich Parchen, a German composer and organist who lived from 1696 to 1765. He was known for his compositions for the organ and for his work as the organist at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, a position he held from 1733 until his death.
In the 18th century, the name Parchen continued to appear in various records throughout Germany. For instance, there is a reference to a Johann Parchen, a farmer from the village of Neuenkirchen in Mecklenburg, who was born in 1725.
By the 19th century, the surname Parchen had spread beyond Germany, with individuals bearing the name appearing in records from other countries as well. One notable figure was Carl Parchen, a German-American artist and engraver who lived from 1815 to 1890. He was known for his detailed engravings of landscapes and cityscapes, many of which depicted scenes from his native Germany.
While the surname Parchen is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its origins as a place name in Germany. Throughout its history, the name has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including composers, farmers, merchants, and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parchen
Among Census respondents with the surname Parchen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Parchen 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 Parchen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parchen
Parchen 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,193 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,941 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 18,193 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 6,941 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 Parchen 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 | #150,452 | #143,511 | 4.6% |
| Count | 109 | 118 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parchen bearers went from 109 to 118 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 6,941 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #143,511.
FAQ
Parchen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parchen?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Parchen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Parchen?
Parchen ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Parchen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Parchen.
Has Parchen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parchen went from 109 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Parchen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parchen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Parchen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parchen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Parchen (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 Parchen mean?
A surname derived from a placename, possibly originating from a village in Germany. 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 Parchen (0.04 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 common is the surname Parchen?
If you just want to know how many people are called Parchen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.