The Parrish surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 49,733 people carried this name — #694 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,930 people counted. That is up 2% from 48,823 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Parrish surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of the parish’.

An early record he cites: Willelmus de Parysch, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Parish and Parrish.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 584 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Parrish was found among the farmers of Essex: 27 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Parish and Parrish.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Essex 27

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Parrish in American newspapers,
1901–1925.

Newspaper page from The Kevin Review carrying the name Parrish
The Kevin Review 1925-12-31
Newspaper page from Great Falls Daily Tribune carrying the name Parrish
Great Falls Daily Tribune 1919-01-13
Newspaper page from Ellsworth American carrying the name Parrish
Ellsworth American 1901-09-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 118,601 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Parrish in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

4,785 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Parrish. The most, 1,309, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,275
Queensland 553
Western Australia 327
Victoria 253
South Australia 172
Tasmania 110
ACT (Canberra) 29
Northern Territory 12

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Parrish.

Who carried it

People named Parrish,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Leslie Parrish
    Leslie Parrish d. 2025 · actor
  • John Parrish
    John Parrish 1729–1807 · preacher
  • Isaac Parrish
    Isaac Parrish 1734–1826
  • Isaac Parrish
    Isaac Parrish 1735–1826
  • Joseph Parrish
    Joseph Parrish 1779–1840 · teacher
  • Ann Parrish 1760–1800 · philanthropist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Parrish,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,677 records

2,677 records of the Parrish name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,703
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 619
  • Other U.S. records 355
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles S. Parrish

    Born 1910 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1944 at Camp Upton Yaphank, New York; mechanic's helper. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1973, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Leonard Monroe Parrish

    Born 1950; from Lillington, North Carolina. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lydia Parrish

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Saratoga from Liverpool, aged 21; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,677 records for Parrish in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia90 records

90 records of the Parrish name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 28
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 20
  • Other Australian records 42
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lily Parrish

    Arrived in Queensland in 1912 aboard the Paparoa, aged 22.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Simone Cecile Parrish

    University lecturer of Armadale, Victoria; died 1965.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Anne Parrish

    Died 1976; buried at Woden Cemetery, Canberra, ACT.

    ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 90 records for Parrish in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Canada83 records

83 records of the Parrish name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 66
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 6
  • Other Canadian records 11
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record George Parrish

    Buried in 1964 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 65.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Frank Parrish

    Died 1971 in Berwick, Kings, Nova Scotia, aged 97.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Earl Douglas Parrish

    Died in service in 1941.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 83 records for Parrish in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom9 records

9 records of the Parrish name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 7
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James William Parrish

    Will proved in 1934; of Sheffield, Yorkshire.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. H. Parrish

    Lance Corporal, Tank Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Joseph Parrish

    Will proved in 1930; of Hawarden, Flint.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Parrish in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand7 records

7 records of the Parrish name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 5
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Parrish

    Died 1934, aged 78; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Parrish

    Died 1894, aged 54; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Emily Parrish

    Died 1973, aged 82; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Parrish in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Parrish name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Elsie Elizabeth Parrish

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Ethel Parrish

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France1 record

1 record of the Parrish name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Joanna Marie Parrish

    Born 1969 in the United Kingdom; died 1990 in Monéteau (Yonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Parrish.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Parrish.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Parrish is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Parrish volume
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