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

Pharris, 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 Pharris surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pharris in America

Pharris is the 19152nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pharris surname appeared 1,418 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 Pharris.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pharris 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 Pharris

The surname Pharris is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "fær" meaning a traveling person and "hisc" meaning a family or household. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a group of travelers or nomads who roamed from place to place.

In its earliest known forms, the surname was spelled as Pharrys, Pharris, Pharryes, and Pharryes. These variations likely arose due to inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation during the Middle Ages. The first recorded instances of the name appear in tax rolls and parish records from the 13th and 14th centuries in counties such as Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk.

While the name Pharris does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, a similar surname, Ferris, is mentioned in connection with landholdings in Hertfordshire. This suggests that the two names may share a common ancestry or origin.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Pharris surname was John Pharris, a merchant and landowner who lived in the village of Sudbury, Suffolk in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was William Pharris, a clergyman and scholar who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk from 1492 to 1516.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Pharris name was also found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire. In 1587, a man named Thomas Pharris was recorded as a resident of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Other historical figures bearing the Pharris surname include:

1. Robert Pharris (1602-1678), a prominent merchant and Member of Parliament from Bristol.
2. Elizabeth Pharris (1635-1719), a Quaker activist and writer from Yorkshire.
3. John Pharris (1718-1792), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
4. Margaret Pharris (1829-1891), an English novelist and poet.
5. Sir Edward Pharris (1857-1932), a British industrialist and philanthropist from Lancashire.

The Pharris name has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Pharris Farm in Suffolk and Pharris Hill in Gloucestershire. These locations may have derived their names from early settlers or landowners bearing the Pharris surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pharris

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

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 Pharris 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 Pharris 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 Pharris was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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