2000
#1,970
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,813
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.23
Uncommon Last name
Paris
A locational surname derived from the French capital city, likely referring to an individual's place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,301 Americans carry the last name Paris. That puts it at #2,087 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,758 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Paris 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 Paris with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 17,758
Census rank
#2,087
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,831 bearers of the surname Paris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2087th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Paris, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Black (11.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Paris
The surname PARIS originates from France, where it first appeared in the early 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name 'Parisii', referring to the Gaulish tribe that inhabited the region around the city of Paris. The name is closely tied to the city itself, with early bearers of the name likely coming from the area.
In medieval records, the name is often spelled as 'Parys' or 'Pareis', reflecting the pronunciation at the time. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Parys'.
As the name spread throughout France, it took on various forms, such as 'Parisis' and 'Parisien', reflecting the different regional dialects. Some notable historical figures with the surname PARIS include:
1. Matthew Paris (c. 1200-1259), a Benedictine monk and chronicler from St. Albans Abbey in England.
2. Peter Parisiensis (fl. 1305-1310), a French philosopher and logician active in the early 14th century.
3. Jean de Paris (c. 1290-1306), a French Dominican friar and theologian known for his defense of Thomism.
4. Robert de Paris (fl. 1322-1326), a French architect responsible for the design of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
5. Christine de Pizan (c. 1364-c. 1430), a renowned Italian-French author and poet, whose original surname was Pizan but was also known as Christine de Paris.
The name PARIS is also associated with various place names across France, such as Paris-la-Montagne, Paris-l'Hôpital, and Paris-sur-Cher, reflecting the widespread presence of bearers of this surname throughout the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Paris
Among Census respondents with the surname Paris, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Black (11.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Paris 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 Paris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.3% · 11,993
- Hispanic or Latino11.7% · 1,971
- Black or African American11.1% · 1,864
- Two or more races3.7% · 631
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 276
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 96
Timeline
Historical Census data for Paris
Paris 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
#2,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,707
+894 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 6.00
Rank movement Down 63 places
2020
#2,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,831
-876 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 5.63
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,970 | 16,813 | 6.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,033 | 17,707 | 6.00 | +894 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 63 places |
| 2020 | #2,087 | 16,831 | 5.63 | -876 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 54 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 Paris 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 | #2,033 | #2,087 | -2.7% |
| Count | 17,707 | 16,831 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.00 | 5.63 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Paris bearers went from 17,707 to 16,831 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,033 to #2,087.
FAQ
Paris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Paris?
Name Census estimates that about 19,301 living Americans carry the surname Paris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,758 residents.
How common is Paris?
Paris ranks #2,087 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,831 people with the surname Paris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,301), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Paris.
Has Paris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Paris went from 17,707 recorded bearers to 16,831. That is a decrease of 876 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,033 to #2,087.
What does the Census say about the background of Paris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Paris, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.7%) and Black (11.1%). 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 Paris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (11,993 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Paris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.3%), Hispanic (11.7%), Black (11.1%). 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 Paris (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 Paris mean?
A locational surname derived from the French capital city, likely referring to an individual's place of origin. 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 Paris (5.63 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 last name Paris?
You can see how many people have the last name Paris on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.