2000
#2,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,387
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.70
Uncommon Last name
Parham
From the English place name, referring to a homestead or enclosure where pears were grown.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,161 Americans carry the last name Parham. That puts it at #2,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,973 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parham 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 Parham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,973
Census rank
#2,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,965 bearers of the surname Parham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parham, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (44.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parham
The surname Parham has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Parham, which is found in various locations across the country, including West Sussex, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire.
The name Parham itself is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "pearroc" meaning a small enclosed area or paddock, and "ham" which referred to a homestead or village. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near or were associated with a small enclosed settlement or hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Parham can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, dated 1230, where a Robert de Parham is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also document a John de Parham in Oxfordshire.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which list a Thomas Parham. The Sussex Feet of Fines from 1396 mentions a John Parham, while the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524 record a William Parham.
One notable figure bearing this surname was Sir John Parham (c. 1567-1624), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Arundel in Sussex. Another prominent individual was Robert Parham (1613-1679), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Pettistree in Suffolk.
In the 17th century, the Parham name gained further recognition with Edward Parham (1630-1695), an English politician and landowner who served as the High Sheriff of Sussex in 1680. Additionally, John Parham (1654-1720) was an English clergyman and author who held the position of Archdeacon of Rochester from 1702 until his death.
Furthermore, the surname Parham has been associated with various place names, such as Parham in West Sussex, which was once home to Parham Park and the historic Parham House, dating back to the 16th century. The village of Parham in Suffolk also bears this name, as does a parish in Cambridgeshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parham
Among Census respondents with the surname Parham, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (44.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Parham 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 Parham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.8% · 7,000
- White44.2% · 6,620
- Two or more races4.7% · 702
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 500
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parham
Parham 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
#2,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,846
+459 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 5.37
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#2,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,965
-881 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 5.01
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,164 | 15,387 | 5.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,302 | 15,846 | 5.37 | +459 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #2,381 | 14,965 | 5.01 | -881 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 79 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 Parham 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 | #2,302 | #2,381 | -3.4% |
| Count | 15,846 | 14,965 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.37 | 5.01 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parham bearers went from 15,846 to 14,965 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,302 to #2,381.
FAQ
Parham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parham?
Name Census estimates that about 17,161 living Americans carry the surname Parham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,973 residents.
How common is Parham?
Parham ranks #2,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,965 people with the surname Parham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,161), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Parham.
Has Parham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parham went from 15,846 recorded bearers to 14,965. That is a decrease of 881 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,302 to #2,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Parham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parham, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (44.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Parham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (7,000 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.8%), White (44.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Parham (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 Parham mean?
From the English place name, referring to a homestead or enclosure where pears were grown. 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 Parham (5.01 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 Parham?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Parham at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.