Explore the Family Name Parnham

The meaning of Parnham

English: habitational name, perhaps from Parnham in Beaminster (Dorset), which is recorded as Perham in 1228 and Parnham in 1431. The placename appears to derive from Old English peru ‘pear’ + hām ‘village, homestead’ or hamm ‘water meadow’. Alternatively, perhaps from a lost or unidentified place so named.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Parnham in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Parnham has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the decade. In 2000, Parnham ranked 79,958 in popularity and had 221 individuals with this surname. However, by 2010, it had slipped to 87,335 in rank, representing a decline of 9.23%. The number of individuals with this surname also decreased to 213, a drop of 3.62%. Consequently, the proportion per 100,000 people also decreased by 12.5%, dropping from 0.08 in 2000 to 0.07 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#79,958	#87,335	-9.23%
Count	221	213	-3.62%
Proportion per 100k	0.08	0.07	-12.5%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Parnham

The ethnic identity associated with the name Parnham is predominantly white, as shown by the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 93.67% of individuals with this surname identified as white, and this figure slightly rose to 93.90% in 2010. During this period, there were no individuals with this surname identifying as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native. Surprisingly, in 2010, there was a small emergence of Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity, accounting for 2.35% of the population with this surname. However, the proportion of people who identified with two or more races went down from 3.62% in 2000 to zero in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	93.67%	93.9%	0.25%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	2.35%	0%
Two or More Races	3.62%	0%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%