Paris History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

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The earliest origins of the name Paris date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from the Saxon tribe called Parisii who originally lived beside the Humber river in Lincolnshire. However, the name may also be of Norman descent as shown by the rather obvious reference to Paris, France. In this case, records show that William, Roger, Walter and Odelina Paris in a Normandy Roll 1180-1185. And about the same time, Hugo, Peter de Paris was listed in England c. 1198. 1

Early Origins of the Paris family

The surname Paris was first found in Lincolnshire where one of the first records of the name was Lotyn de Paris in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls list Robert de Paris in London and Ralph de Paris in Kent. Roger de Paris and Simon de Paris were both listed as living in London during the reign of Edward I. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Johannes de Parys.2

Somerset had an entry for the family: John Parys, who was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 3

John Parisshe, Pareys was listed in Lincolnshire in 1462. Paris Hall in North Weald Bassett, Essex was named from Richard de Paris (1276), and is later recorded as Parrishe in 1593. "This development of final sh from s is found in other names including in 1319 in Wrabenash for Wrabness." 4

By the late 12th century they were granted lands in Scotland by King David and Walter Paris was Bishop of Glasgow in 1202. John Paris rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. Edward Paris was one of those who helped burn down the town of Dumbarton. Elspeth Parris of West Lothian was accused of witchcraft in 1624 (which usually meant she was unwilling to convert her religion). 5

Early History of the Paris family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Paris research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1259, 1526, 1582, 1609, 1653, 1666, 1682, 1692, 1720, 1735, 1743 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Paris History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Paris Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Paris include Paris, Parish, Parris, Parrish, Pares and others.

Early Notables of the Paris family

Distinguished members of the family include

Paris World Ranking

In the United States, the name Paris is the 2,319th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 6 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Paris is ranked the 792nd most popular surname. 7 And in France, the name Paris is the 123rd popular surname with an estimated 23,902 people with that name. 8


Paris migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Paris or a variant listed above:

Paris Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
Paris Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Paris Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Paris Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Paris migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Paris Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Paris Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Paris 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:

Paris Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Paris 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. 12
Paris Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
Paris Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Paris (post 1700) +
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