Find out how popular the last name Purdue is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Purdue.

Purdue, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Purdue surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Purdue in America

Purdue is the 16975th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Purdue surname appeared 1,674 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Purdue.

We can also compare 2010 data for Purdue to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Purdue

The surname Purdue is of English origin, deriving from the Old French word "pur" meaning "pure" and the Middle English word "deu" meaning "stream" or "water." The name is thought to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century, possibly referring to a person living near a clear or pure stream.

The earliest recorded mention of the surname Purdue dates back to the 13th century in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Records from the Hundred Rolls of 1273 list a person named Radulphus de Purde, indicating the surname's presence in medieval England.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Purde, Purdeu, and Purdewe. These variations reflect the evolution of the name's spelling over time. The earliest known bearer of the name Purdue was John Purdue, born around 1330 in Essex, England.

The Purdue surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Purdue Green in Hertfordshire and Purdue Farm in Cambridgeshire. These place names may have influenced the surname's development or could have been named after individuals bearing the Purdue name.

One notable historical figure with the surname Purdue was Sir Henry Purdue (1571-1638), an English nobleman and member of Parliament. He served as Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in the early 17th century.

Another prominent individual was John Purdue (1802-1876), an American industrialist and philanthropist. He made his fortune in the meat-packing industry and later established Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, through a generous donation in 1869.

Other notable individuals with the surname Purdue include Sir Thomas Purdue (1633-1701), an English politician and landowner, and William Purdue (1796-1861), a British engineer and inventor known for his contributions to steam engine design.

The surname Purdue has also been associated with several other historical figures, such as the English clergyman Richard Purdue (1698-1768), the American politician James Purdue (1792-1854), and the British artist Charles Purdue (1873-1945).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Purdue

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Purdue.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Purdue was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Purdue has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Purdue was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Purdue, please contact us.

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