2000
#13,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Purdie
A Scottish locational surname derived from the place name Purdie, meaning "pretty" in Old French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,279 Americans carry the last name Purdie. That puts it at #14,451 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Purdie surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Purdie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 150,397
Census rank
#14,451
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,987 bearers of the surname Purdie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14451st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Purdie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Purdie
The surname Purdie has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the place name Pardieu, a small village near Linlithgow, West Lothian. The name is thought to be a variant of the French phrase "par Dieu" meaning "by God" or "by Heaven".
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname can be found in the Scottish records from 1507, where a John Purdie is listed as a tenant in the village of Pardieu. The name appears to have been concentrated in the regions of West Lothian, Midlothian, and East Lothian during its early history.
The variant spelling "Pardew" was also used in some instances, reflecting the potential French influence on the name's origin. Another spelling variation, "Purdew," was found in the records of the Parish of Liberton near Edinburgh in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name began to spread more widely across Scotland, with families bearing the surname appearing in records from various regions, including Fife, Lanarkshire, and Aberdeenshire.
One notable individual with the Purdie surname was John Purdie (1773-1857), a Scottish gardener and plant collector who worked for the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. He was responsible for introducing several new plant species to Britain from his travels in North America.
Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Purdie (1842-1909), a Scottish businessman and Member of Parliament who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1900 to 1903.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Purdie family settled in Ireland, where the name is also found, particularly in County Down and County Antrim.
Other notable individuals with the Purdie surname include:
1. Robert Purdie (1810-1888), a Scottish-born Australian businessman and politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
2. William Purdie (1784-1853), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
3. James Purdie (1840-1915), a Scottish-born Canadian journalist and editor who co-founded the Edmonton Bulletin newspaper in Alberta.
4. Alexander Purdie (1755-1818), a Scottish-born printer and publisher who established one of the earliest printing businesses in Charleston, South Carolina.
5. Thomas Purdie (1796-1865), a Scottish-born civil engineer who worked on various infrastructure projects in Canada, including the construction of the Rideau Canal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Purdie
Among Census respondents with the surname Purdie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Purdie bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Purdie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.7% · 1,067
- White37.8% · 751
- Two or more races4.2% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Purdie
Purdie appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,117
+7 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 918 places
2020
#14,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,987
-130 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,266 | 2,110 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,184 | 2,117 | 0.72 | +7 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 918 places |
| 2020 | #14,451 | 1,987 | 0.66 | -130 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 267 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Purdie surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,184 | #14,451 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,117 | 1,987 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.66 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Purdie bearers went from 2,117 to 1,987 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 267 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,184 to #14,451.
FAQ
Purdie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Purdie?
Name Census estimates that about 2,279 living Americans carry the surname Purdie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,397 residents.
How common is Purdie?
Purdie ranks #14,451 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,987 people with the surname Purdie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Purdie.
Has Purdie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Purdie went from 2,117 recorded bearers to 1,987. That is a decrease of 130 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,184 to #14,451.
What does the Census say about the background of Purdie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Purdie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Purdie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.7% (1,067 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Purdie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.7%), White (37.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Purdie (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Purdie mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from the place name Purdie, meaning "pretty" in Old French. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Purdie (0.66 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Purdie?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Purdie at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.