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

Purvis, 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 Purvis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Purvis in America

Purvis is the 2177th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Purvis surname appeared 16,686 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Purvis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Purvis 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 Purvis

The surname Purvis originated from the Anglo-Norman French word "pore-vis" meaning "poor-faced". It first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name was initially given as a nickname to someone with a thin, pale, or sickly appearance.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Poreviz" and "Poreveys". These early spellings illustrate the name's evolution from the French "pore-vis" to its more modern form.

In the 13th century, the surname is found in various records from Northumberland and Yorkshire, indicating its origins in the northern parts of England. One of the earliest recorded bearers is John Purvis, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1273.

By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of the country, with records showing bearers in Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. The spellings during this period included Porvis, Porvys, and Pourveys.

Several notable individuals with the surname Purvis have left their mark throughout history. One of the earliest was Robert Purvis (c. 1510-1588), an English clergyman who served as the Dean of York from 1570 until his death.

In the 17th century, Thomas Purvis (1624-1695) was a prominent English Presbyterian minister and author who played a significant role in the religious debates of his time.

The 18th century saw the rise of Robert Purvis (1752-1826), a Scottish surgeon and writer who served as the President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.

In the 19th century, Robert Purvis (1810-1898) was a notable American abolitionist and philanthropist who worked alongside prominent figures like William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass in the fight against slavery.

Another notable bearer of the surname was James Purvis (1884-1959), a Scottish businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for East Renfrewshire from 1945 to 1959.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Purvis

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

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

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

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