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The origins of the Par name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the region of Parr which was known in Lancashire as an enclosed area. having derived from the English word "pearr," 1
Par is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
One source notes: "I ventured to derive this surname from Peter, and this, through the French Pierre, is probably the true origin of it in some cases; but a correspondent (the Rev. Henry Parr) says: 'it is derived from the manor of Parr in Lancashire, which is also a township, and of late years has become a chapelry. There all my ancestors were settled from the XIII. century, and there is sufficient reason for concluding, that every family bearing the name has branched out from the same parent stock.' " 2
The surname Par was first found in Lancashire at Parr, a township in the parish of Prescot where one of the first records of the family was John Parr, rector of the church of St. Elphin, Warrington, Lancashire in December 1367. 3
"The family of Parre or Parr, barons of Kendal, were anciently lords of the manor. Sir Thomas Parre, master of the wards and comptroller to Henry VIII., died in the 9th year of that king's reign, leaving two sons and two daughters, of whom one of the latter, Catherine, became the unfortunate queen of Henry VIII. His son, William, inherited the estates, and was successively created lord Parr and Ross, Baron of Hart, earl of Essex, and marquess of Northampton." 4
Sir John Parr (c. 1371), the progenitor of the Parr family which included Catherine Parr (1512-1548), Queen of England. Without a doubt, one of the most famous of the family in the early years was Thomas Parr (1483-1635), the Englishman who was said to have lived for 152 years. Often referred to as Old Parr or Old Tom Parr, his portrait hangs at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, with an inscription which reads "Thomas Parr died at the age of 152 years 9 months." He was treated as a spectacle in London, but the change in food apparently led to his death. The king arranged for him to be buried at Westminster Abbey complete with a monument.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Par research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1407, 1434, 1461, 1483, 1512, 1517, 1543, 1547, 1548, 1592, 1644, 1725 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Par History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Par were recorded, including Parr, Par, Parre and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include:
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Par family emigrate to North America:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: