Find out how popular the last name Parren is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Parren.

Parren, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Parren surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Parren in America

Parren is the 154907th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Parren surname appeared 105 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Parren.

We can also compare 2010 data for Parren to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Parren

The surname Parren is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th century. It is thought to derive from the Old English word "parra," meaning an enclosed area or small field, suggesting that the name may have initially been a descriptive one for someone who lived near or worked in such an enclosure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Parren surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Roger Parren in the county of Gloucestershire. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the Parren family appears to have been concentrated primarily in the southern and western regions of England, with various spellings such as Parren, Parrin, and Paryn appearing in historical records from counties like Somerset, Dorset, and Devon.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the Parren name was Sir William Parren, a knight who served under King Edward I and took part in the Welsh Wars. Records from this period also mention a village called Parren's Green in Somerset, indicating a possible connection between the surname and a place name.

During the 16th century, a prominent member of the Parren family was John Parren (1510-1582), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire who served as a Member of Parliament for the city of Bristol.

In the 17th century, Thomas Parren (1633-1701) was a renowned philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the nature of free will and predestination, contributing to the ongoing religious debates of the time.

Another notable individual with the Parren surname was Elizabeth Parren (1745-1825), a pioneering educator who established one of the first schools for girls in London, challenging the traditional gender norms of her era.

Throughout its history, the Parren surname has maintained a presence in various parts of England, though it has never been among the most common surnames in the country. While spelling variations have occurred over time, the core name has remained relatively consistent, reflecting its deep roots in the English language and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Parren

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Parren.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Parren was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Parren has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Parren was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Parren, please contact us.

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