The Purvis surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,686 people carried this name — #2,177 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 17,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 16,381 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Purvis surname

Perhaps from Middle English purveys (“provisions, supplies”), hence a metonymic occupational surname for an official responsible of obtaining supplies.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Purvis» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 8 births for the Purvis name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 4
Connacht 3
Leinster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 105 people named Purvis live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 105

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Purvis was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Northumberland: 18 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 556. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Northumberland 18
Durham 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland, 1880s

Purves and Purvis, counted together, were 10 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 1,000. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “South of the Forth and the Clyde, especially characteristic of Berwickshire.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 593 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Purvis was recorded 15 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1427th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 19. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Purvis in American newspapers,
1901–1929.

Newspaper page from Williston Graphic carrying the name Purvis
Williston Graphic 1901-07-18
Newspaper page from Williston Graphic carrying the name Purvis
Williston Graphic 1901-07-25
Newspaper page from The Bismarck Tribune carrying the name Purvis
The Bismarck Tribune 1929-07-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 57,285 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Purvis in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

21,133 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Purvis. The most, 3,595, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 3.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,316
Victoria 6,247
South Australia 3,984
Queensland 2,867
Western Australia 778
Tasmania 712
Northern Territory 113
ACT (Canberra) 82

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Purvis.

Who carried it

People named Purvis,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Purvis
    William Purvis 1752–1832 · singer-songwriter
  • James F. Purvis d. 1880 · banker
  • Renira Anna Purvis d. 1926
  • Violet Marion Purvis d. 1969
  • Fortescue Richard Purvis d. 1885
  • Elizabeth Purvis d. 1830

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Purvis,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,240 records

1,240 records of the Purvis name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 551
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 217
  • Other U.S. records 472
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Alfred Alexander Purvis

    Born 1950; from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Philadelphia National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ottis J. Purvis

    Born 1918 in Mississippi. Enlisted 1942 at Jackson; salesperson from Jones County. U.S. Army veteran; died 1995, buried at Lakewood Memorial Park, Jackson, Mississippi.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Nancy Purvis

    Arrived at New York in 1846 aboard the Peter Hattrick from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,240 records for Purvis in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia631 records

631 records of the Purvis name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 345
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 130
  • Other Australian records 156
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Anne Purvis

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the John Calvin, sailing from London in 1848. Native of Tyrone. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849. Married 1849 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robert Purvis

    Arrived in Victoria in 1887 aboard the Austral, aged 28; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Charles S. Purvis

    Farmer of Horsham, Victoria; died 1940.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 631 records for Purvis in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada204 records

204 records of the Purvis name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 152
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 20
  • Other Canadian records 32
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record James Purvis

    Killed in 1902 at the Albion Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record George Leo Purvis

    Buried in 1959 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 70.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Jack William Purvis

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 204 records for Purvis in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom40 records

40 records of the Purvis name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 28
  • Stirling Council burial records 10
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Purvis

    Died 1926, aged 52; buried at Kippen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Purvis

    Will proved in 1866; of Bangor, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. Purvis

    South Staffordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 40 records for Purvis in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands31 records

31 records of the Purvis name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 24
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 7
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Annie Catherine Purvis

    Died 1901 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 72.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anne Catharine Purvis

    Married in 1863 in Paddington.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Elisabeth Francina Purvis

    In the population register of Utrecht; born 1832 in Padang Ned.Indie.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 31 records for Purvis in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand25 records

25 records of the Purvis name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 16
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 7
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Purvis

    Died 1931, aged 86; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William James Purvis

    Born 1904, died 1968; ashes interred at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Henry Purvis

    Died 1927, aged 66; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 25 records for Purvis in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Purvis name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Timothy Jon Purvis

    Born 1969 in Thames (Nouvelle-Zélande); died 1999 in Saint-Bon-Tarentaise (Savoie).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Purvis.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Purvis is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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