2000
#65,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Parody
A surname possibly derived from the French "par a dieu" meaning "by God" or "for God's sake".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 389 Americans carry the last name Parody. That puts it at #63,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 881,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parody 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
389
1 in 881,117
Census rank
#63,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
339
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 339 bearers of the surname Parody in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 63550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parody, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parody
The surname Parody has its origins in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "parodie," which means "a satirical or burlesque imitation." This suggests that the name may have been given to an individual known for their skill in parody or satirical performances.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records from the regions of Normandy and Poitou in France. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Parody, a poet and satirist who lived in the 13th century and was known for his biting parodies of courtly love poetry.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls, a census-like record of landowners in England, indicating that some Parody families may have migrated from France to England during this time period. One such entry records a Richard Parody as a landowner in the county of Wiltshire.
During the Renaissance period, the name Parody gained some prominence in the literary and artistic circles of Italy. Notably, there was a painter named Giovanni Parody, born in 1495 in Florence, who was known for his satirical paintings that parodied the works of famous artists of the time.
In the 17th century, a French philosopher and writer named François Parody gained renown for his works critiquing the excesses of the Catholic Church and advocating for religious reform. He was born in 1620 in Marseille and died in 1692.
Another notable bearer of the name was the English writer and satirist, Jonathan Parody, who lived from 1667 to 1745. He is best known for his biting satires on the political and social issues of his time, particularly his work "A Modest Proposal," which was a parody of the proposed solutions to poverty in Ireland.
During the 19th century, the name Parody was also found in the United States. One example is William Parody, a lawyer and politician from New York, who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1843 to 1847.
Throughout its history, the surname Parody has been associated with individuals known for their satirical and parodic talents, reflecting the name's origins in the concept of parody and burlesque imitation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parody
Among Census respondents with the surname Parody, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Parody 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 Parody surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 288
- Hispanic or Latino12.4% · 42
- Two or more races1.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parody
Parody 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
#63,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 313
+32 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 2,164 places
2020
#63,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 339
+26 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #65,862 | 281 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,698 | 313 | 0.11 | +32 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 2,164 places |
| 2020 | #63,550 | 339 | 0.11 | +26 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 148 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 Parody 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 | #63,698 | #63,550 | 0.2% |
| Count | 313 | 339 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parody bearers went from 313 to 339 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 148 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,698 to #63,550.
FAQ
Parody surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parody?
Name Census estimates that about 389 living Americans carry the surname Parody. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 881,117 residents.
How common is Parody?
Parody ranks #63,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 339 people with the surname Parody. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (389), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Parody.
Has Parody become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parody went from 313 recorded bearers to 339. That is an increase of 26 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #63,698 to #63,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Parody?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parody, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Parody in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (288 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parody appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (12.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Parody (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 Parody mean?
A surname possibly derived from the French "par a dieu" meaning "by God" or "for God's sake". 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 Parody (0.11 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 Parody?
Want to know how many people are called Parody? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.