2000
#9,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Pare
An occupational surname referring to a preparer or finisher of cloth, from the Old French "parer" meaning "to prepare."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,754 Americans carry the last name Pare. That puts it at #9,499 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,304 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pare 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pare with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,304
Census rank
#9,499
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,274 bearers of the surname Pare in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9499th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pare, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pare
The surname Pare is of French origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "pare," which means "to protect" or "to defend." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who worked as a guardian or protector, or perhaps someone who lived near a defensive fortification.
The earliest recorded instances of the Pare surname can be found in northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. The name appears in various medieval records and manuscripts, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England.
One notable historical figure bearing the Pare surname was Ambroise Pare (1510-1590), a French surgeon who is considered one of the fathers of modern surgery. He made significant contributions to the field of medicine, including the introduction of ligatures for closing blood vessels and the use of artificial limbs.
Another prominent individual with the Pare surname was François Pare (1590-1653), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to North America and worked among the Huron and Iroquois tribes. He is known for his efforts in promoting peace between the French and the indigenous populations.
In the 18th century, there was Jacques Pare (1723-1790), a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais de la Monnaie (the Paris Mint).
Moving forward to the 19th century, Louis Pare (1836-1911) was a French politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the National Assembly and played a role in the establishment of the Third French Republic.
Lastly, a more recent example is Jocelyne Pare (1947-present), a Canadian actress known for her roles in various television series and films, including the popular sitcom "The Red Green Show."
It's worth noting that the Pare surname has also been associated with certain place names in France, such as Paré (in Brittany) and Parè (in Normandy), which may have influenced the development and spellings of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pare
Among Census respondents with the surname Pare, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pare 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 Pare surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 2,814
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 141
- Two or more races3.4% · 110
- Black or African American3.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pare
Pare 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
#9,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,464
+325 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 109 places
2020
#9,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,274
-190 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,498 | 3,139 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,389 | 3,464 | 1.17 | +325 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 109 places |
| 2020 | #9,499 | 3,274 | 1.10 | -190 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 110 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 Pare 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 | #9,389 | #9,499 | -1.2% |
| Count | 3,464 | 3,274 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.10 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pare bearers went from 3,464 to 3,274 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,389 to #9,499.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pare
FAQ
Pare surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pare?
Name Census estimates that about 3,754 living Americans carry the surname Pare. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,304 residents.
How common is Pare?
Pare ranks #9,499 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,274 people with the surname Pare. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,754), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Pare.
Has Pare become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pare went from 3,464 recorded bearers to 3,274. That is a decrease of 190 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,389 to #9,499.
What does the Census say about the background of Pare?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pare, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%) 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 Pare in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (2,814 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pare appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%), 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 Pare (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 Pare mean?
An occupational surname referring to a preparer or finisher of cloth, from the Old French "parer" meaning "to prepare." 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 Pare (1.10 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 Americans have the surname Pare?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.