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Parris History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Parris History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Belgium
England
France

Noble surnames, such as Parris, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Parris, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Lorraine. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Parris family originally lived at the town of Paresse or Parez, in the Lorraine. Although one would at first assume that the name is derived from the city of Paris, evidence suggests that the names of both the town in the Lorraine and the French capital are derived from a Gaulish tribe called the Parisii.

Early Origins of the Parris family

The surname Parris was first found in Lorraine where this distinguished family held a family seat at Paresse or Parez in that province, and were important members of the aristocracy. The main stem of the family became the Barons of Dagonville, Comtes de Sanpigny, and the Marquis de Bruney in 1730.

Early History of the Parris family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Parris research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1259, 1540, 1598, 1625 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Parris History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parris Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Paris, Parise, Pariset, Parez, Paresse, Parisot, Pariseau, Parizeau, Parris, de Paris, Parizot, Parizet and many more.

Early Notables of the Parris family

More information is included under the topic Early Parris Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parris Ranking

In the United States, the name Parris is the 2,331^st most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1

Parris migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Parris Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Parris, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Thomas Parris, who settled in Massachusetts in 1635
Arundell Parris, who landed in Virginia in 1642 2
Arrundill Parris, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 2
John Parris, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Parris Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Parris, who landed in Virginia in 1703 2
Thomas Parris, who landed in Virginia in 1707 2

Parris Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Stephen Parris, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1856 2
William T Parris, who arrived in Arkansas in 1874 2

Parris migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Parris Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Caroline Parris, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Cygnet" in 1836 3
Stephen Parris, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Cygnet" in 1836 3

Parris migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Parris Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Emily Parris, aged 23, a housemaid, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Queen of the North" in 1874

Parris migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Parris Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Edward Parris, who settled in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Parris (post 1700) +

Rebecca Parris (1951-2018), American jazz singer
James Parris, American actor, known for Belly (1998), When Will I Be Loved (2004) and The Butterfly Chasers
Teyonah Parris, American Black Reel Award winning and Screen Actors Guild Award nominated actress, known for Dear White People (2014), How Do You Know (2010) and Mad Men (2007)
Robert Parris (1924-1999), American composer and professor of music
Stanford Elmer "Stan" Parris (1929-2010), American lawyer and Republican politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia (1981-1991)
Albion Keith Parris (1788-1857), American politician and jurist, United States Senator from Maine (1827-1828), 5th Governor of Maine (1822-1827)
Patricia Parris (b. 1950), American voice actress, best known for her work as Shelly on Jabberjaw (1976) and Daisy Duck in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
Alexander Parris (1780-1852), American architect-engineer, one of the founders of what would become the American Institute of Architects
Francis Sawyer Parris (1707-1760), English biblical scholar who played a major part in updating and standardizing the 1611 Authorized King James Version of the Bible
Matthew Francis Parris (b. 1949), British journalist and former Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire (1979-1986)
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Parris family +

Arrow Air Flight 1285

Mr. Rudy Parris (1945-1985), American Captain from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 5

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Cygnet arrived Holdfast Bay, Adealide Sept. 11, 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Cygnet.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550