2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Parnas
A surname derived from a Yiddish term meaning "source of livelihood" or "breadwinner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Parnas. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parnas 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Parnas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parnas, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parnas
The surname PARNAS is of Russian origin, tracing its roots back to the early 19th century. It is believed to have originated from the Russian word "парнас," which means "Parnassus" – a reference to the famous mountain in central Greece associated with poetry and the arts.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appears to have been concentrated in the regions of Moscow and St. Petersburg, where it was likely adopted by Jewish families seeking to assimilate into Russian society during the Russification policies of the imperial era.
One of the earliest known individuals with the PARNAS surname was Isaac PARNAS, a prominent Russian-Jewish writer and journalist born in 1853 in Vitebsk. His works often explored themes of cultural identity and the struggles faced by Jewish communities in the Russian Empire.
Another notable figure was Yakov PARNAS, a influential Russian-Jewish lawyer and activist who lived from 1884 to 1949. He was a vocal advocate for civil rights and played a pivotal role in the defense of Jewish citizens during the notorious "Beilis Affair" of 1913.
In the realm of academia, the name is closely associated with the biochemist and Nobel laureate, Efraim PARNAS, who was born in 1897 in what is now Belarus. His groundbreaking research on the metabolism of carbohydrates and fermentation processes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944.
The PARNAS surname also gained recognition through the accomplishments of the Russian-American mathematician and computer scientist, David PARNAS, born in 1941. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in the field of software engineering and is renowned for his contributions to the development of modular programming techniques.
Another prominent individual was the Russian-Israeli painter and sculptor, Avigdor PARNAS, who lived from 1924 to 2004. His artwork, often inspired by his Jewish heritage and the landscapes of Israel, has been exhibited in galleries around the world and is highly celebrated within the contemporary art scene.
While the PARNAS surname may have originated from a poetic reference, its legacy has been shaped by individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields, from literature and law to science and art, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and intellectual landscapes of their respective eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parnas
Among Census respondents with the surname Parnas, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Parnas 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 Parnas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 95
- Black or African American5.7% · 6
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parnas
Parnas 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,437 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 807 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 4,437 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 807 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 Parnas 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 | #151,532 | #152,339 | -0.5% |
| Count | 108 | 106 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parnas bearers went from 108 to 106 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 807 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,339.
FAQ
Parnas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parnas?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Parnas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Parnas?
Parnas ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Parnas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Parnas.
Has Parnas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parnas went from 108 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Parnas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parnas, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Parnas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parnas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Parnas (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 Parnas mean?
A surname derived from a Yiddish term meaning "source of livelihood" or "breadwinner." 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 Parnas (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 Parnas?
Find out how many people have the surname Parnas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.