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

Purvey, 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 Purvey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Purvey in America

Purvey is the 112568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Purvey surname appeared 156 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Purvey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Purvey 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 Purvey

The surname Purvey originated in England during the late 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old French word 'purveeir', meaning 'to provide' or 'to supply'. This was likely given to someone who worked as a purveyor or supplier of goods and provisions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a Richard Purveour is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list a John le Purveour in Oxfordshire.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as Purveye, Purveyor, and Purvair. It is believed that the surname may have also been influenced by the Old English word 'purvey', meaning 'to see to' or 'to make provision for'.

The Purvey surname is associated with several notable individuals throughout history. John Purvey (c. 1353 - c. 1428) was an English theologian and a follower of John Wycliffe, known for his English translation of the Bible. William Purvey (fl. 1390) was an English clergyman and scholar who collaborated with John Wycliffe on the first complete English translation of the Bible.

Other historical figures with the Purvey surname include Robert Purvey (fl. 1400), an English Lollard and one of the early followers of John Wycliffe's teachings. Thomas Purvey (fl. 1450) was an English clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the sacraments.

The Purvey name can also be traced back to various locations in England, such as the village of Purvey in Buckinghamshire, which may have influenced the surname's spelling and pronunciation.

While the Purvey surname is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of England's rich historical tapestry, with roots dating back to the 12th century and connections to notable figures in the fields of religion, literature, and scholarship.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Purvey

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!