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

Purnell, 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 Purnell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Purnell in America

Purnell is the 4197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Purnell surname appeared 8,441 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Purnell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Purnell 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 Purnell

The surname Purnell is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "purnon," meaning a small stream or brook. This name originated in the counties of Somerset and Wiltshire, where it was first recorded in the 13th century.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name appears as "Purnella," referring to a small settlement near a stream. This early spelling suggests that the name was initially a place name before becoming a surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Richard Purnell, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1230. Another early bearer of the name was John de Purnele, recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire in 1273.

In the 16th century, the Purnell family was well-established in the village of Broadwindsor, Dorset. Thomas Purnell (1529-1617) was a prominent landowner and member of this family.

Sir Robert Purnell (1585-1666) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton during the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentarian cause and was knighted by Oliver Cromwell.

Samuel Purnell (1683-1768) was an English clergyman and author, known for his work "A Treatise of Comets" published in 1733.

Thomas Purnell (1784-1833) was a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a politician, representing Weymouth and Melcombe Regis in the House of Commons.

William Purnell (1808-1878) was an English cricketer who played for Hampshire and Surrey in the early days of county cricket.

Purnell has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Purnell's Brook in Somerset and Purnell's Mill in Gloucestershire, further reflecting the name's origins as a place name related to streams or brooks.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Purnell

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

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 Purnell 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 Purnell 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 Purnell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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