2000
#9,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Parrett
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "pear tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,504 Americans carry the last name Parrett. That puts it at #10,054 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Parrett 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 Parrett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,818
Census rank
#10,054
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,056 bearers of the surname Parrett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10054th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Parrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Parrett
The surname PARRETT has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "parret," which referred to a small enclosure or pen for animals. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational name for someone who worked with or guarded such enclosures.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable mention is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a person named Roger Parret is listed. Additionally, the surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, indicating its presence in that region during that time.
The PARRETT surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Parrett Works in Somerset and Parrett Lode in Dorset. These places may have derived their names from the Old English word "parret," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its occupational origins.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the PARRETT surname. One such person was John Parrett (1567-1648), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, from 1628 until his death. Another was Thomas Parrett (1683-1756), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the early 18th century.
In the 19th century, William Parrett (1790-1870) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal College of Surgeons in London. Additionally, John Parrett (1818-1889) was a British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of education and healthcare in his community.
Another notable figure was Sir Walter Parrett (1842-1923), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the late 19th century and was awarded the Order of the Bath for his distinguished service.
While the PARRETT surname may have originated from humble occupational beginnings, it has since been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields, including academia, politics, architecture, business, and the military.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Parrett
Among Census respondents with the surname Parrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Parrett 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 Parrett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 2,603
- Two or more races5.0% · 153
- Black or African American4.7% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Parrett
Parrett 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
#8,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,703
+422 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 292 places
2020
#10,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,056
-647 bearers (-17.5%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 1,206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,140 | 3,281 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,848 | 3,703 | 1.26 | +422 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 292 places |
| 2020 | #10,054 | 3,056 | 1.02 | -647 bearers (-17.5%) | Down 1,206 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 Parrett 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 | #8,848 | #10,054 | -13.6% |
| Count | 3,703 | 3,056 | -17.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.02 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Parrett bearers went from 3,703 to 3,056 (-17.5% change). The surname moved down 1,206 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,848 to #10,054.
FAQ
Parrett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Parrett?
Name Census estimates that about 3,504 living Americans carry the surname Parrett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,818 residents.
How common is Parrett?
Parrett ranks #10,054 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,056 people with the surname Parrett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,504), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Parrett.
Has Parrett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Parrett went from 3,703 recorded bearers to 3,056. That is a decrease of 647 (-17.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,848 to #10,054.
What does the Census say about the background of Parrett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Parrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Parrett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (2,603 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Parrett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (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 Parrett (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 Parrett mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "pear tree." 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 Parrett (1.02 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 surname Parrett?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.