2000
#10,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,764
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Pardee
French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "isolated dwelling" or "small house away from neighbors."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,895 Americans carry the last name Pardee. That puts it at #11,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pardee 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
2.9K
1 in 118,395
Census rank
#11,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,525 bearers of the surname Pardee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardee, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pardee
The surname Pardee is of English origin, derived from the Old English words 'pear' and 'dæg', meaning 'pear tree day'. It is believed to have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a pear tree or an area known for its abundance of pear trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Perueddei' and 'Pereday'. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
During the medieval period, the name was commonly spelled in various ways, including 'Pereday', 'Perryday', and 'Perreday'. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname Pardee throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was John Pardee (c. 1370 - 1436), a prominent landowner and farmer in Berkshire, England. Another early figure was Thomas Pardee (1492 - 1555), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
In the 17th century, George Pardee (1622 - 1692) was a Puritan settler who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. He is considered one of the earliest ancestors of many Pardee families in North America.
A more recent historical figure was Arba Nelson Pardee (1808 - 1892), an American politician and lawyer who served as the fifth Lieutenant Governor of California from 1863 to 1867.
Another notable individual was Ario Pardee Jr. (1900 - 1981), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Pardee Corporation, a successful real estate development company in Los Angeles.
While the Pardee surname originated in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, often carried by descendants of early English settlers and immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pardee
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardee, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pardee 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 Pardee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,295
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 102
- Two or more races3.4% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pardee
Pardee 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
#11,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,725
-39 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 906 places
2020
#11,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
-200 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,634 | 2,764 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,540 | 2,725 | 0.92 | -39 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 906 places |
| 2020 | #11,850 | 2,525 | 0.84 | -200 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 310 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 Pardee 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 | #11,540 | #11,850 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,725 | 2,525 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.84 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pardee bearers went from 2,725 to 2,525 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 310 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,540 to #11,850.
FAQ
Pardee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pardee?
Name Census estimates that about 2,895 living Americans carry the surname Pardee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,395 residents.
How common is Pardee?
Pardee ranks #11,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,525 people with the surname Pardee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,895), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pardee.
Has Pardee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pardee went from 2,725 recorded bearers to 2,525. That is a decrease of 200 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,540 to #11,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Pardee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pardee, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Pardee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pardee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Pardee (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 Pardee mean?
French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "isolated dwelling" or "small house away from neighbors." 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 Pardee (0.84 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 Pardee?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Pardee, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.