Show ContentsPardy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England produced the name of Pardy. It was given to a person who was known for their continued use of the oath pour Dieu, which is Old French meaning "for God." This is a subset of the nickname type of name known as oath names. [1]

Early Origins of the Pardy family

The surname Pardy was first found in Bedfordshire where Gilbert Purdeu was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1227. Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 included an entry for John Purde in Cheshire and the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex had two entries for the family: John Purdew in 1296; and John Purde in 1332. These entries may be the same person, or father and son. In Norfolk, John Purdy was listed there in 1436 as was Robert Purdu in 1479. [1]

The same source found Richard Parde in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1228; Robert Pardey in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and Henry Pardeu in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. [1]

Further to the north in Scotland, "John Purdie was one of an inquest in 1296 which found that Robert de Pinkeny held the tenement of Balincref, and David Perdy was a tenant of the earl of Douglas in Linton, 1376. A later David Purde, succentor of Glasgow, 1476-1477, appears again in 1491 as Prade, and in the title of his obituary in 1497 his name is given as Prowde." [2]

Early History of the Pardy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pardy research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1525, 1569, 1585, 1743, 1754, 1764, 1770, 1776, 1779, 1783, 1814, 1820, 1823, 1858, 1880 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Pardy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pardy Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Pardy has appeared include Pardy, Pardie, Pardee, Purdie, Purdew, Purdy, Purdoe, Pardoe and many more.

Early Notables of the Pardy family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Pardoe (1770-1823), English enameler who was noted for flower painting from Derby. Alexander Purdie (c. 1743- 1779), born in Scotland, emigrated to America by 1764. He became a prominent colonial American printer, publisher, and merchant in Williamsburg, Virginia where he...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pardy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pardy Ranking

In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Pardy is the 67th most popular surname with an estimated 397 people with that name. [3]

Ireland Migration of the Pardy family to Ireland

Some of the Pardy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Pardy migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Pardy arrived in North America very early:

Pardy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Elizabeth Pardy, who settled in Virginia in 1654
  • Eliz Pardy, who landed in Virginia in 1654 [4]
Pardy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Wm. Pardy, aged 23, who immigrated to America from Wales, in 1892
Pardy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Florence Pardy, aged 8, who landed in America from Guernsey, in 1906
  • George Pardy, aged 1, who settled in America from Guernsey, in 1906
  • Helen C. Pardy, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States from Guernsey, in 1906
  • Clifford Pardy, aged 7, who immigrated to the United States from Guernsey, in 1906
  • Doris Pardy, aged 2, who landed in America from Guernsey, in 1906
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Pardy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pardy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Pardy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Pardy was settled in Bay d'Este, Shelter Point, Newfoundland, in 1835 [5]
Pardy Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Frederick Pardy, aged 24, who settled in Seaforth, Ontario, in 1913
  • Rebecca Pardy, aged 17, who immigrated to Placentia, Newfoundland, in 1921

New Zealand Pardy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Pardy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Rose Ann Pardy, aged 18, a farm servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874

West Indies Pardy migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [6]
Pardy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Pardy, (b. 1611), aged 23, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Pardy (post 1700) +

  • James Vincent Pardy M.M. (1898-1983), American-born Catholic missionary and bishop
  • Richard "Rick" Pardy (b. 1961), American head football coach for the Marist College football program from 1989 to 1991
  • The Very Reverend Dr. Marion Pardy (b. 1942), Newfoundland-born, Canadian 37th Moderator of the United Church of Canada from Gander, Newfoundland
  • Lorne Pardy, Canadian actor, known for War of the Worlds (1988), Still Life: The Fine Art of Murder (1990) and My Secret Identity
  • Trent Pardy, Canadian actor, known for his work on Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2017), Twelfth Night (2012) and Willed to Kill (2012)
  • Craig Pardy (b. 1960), Canadian politician who was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the 2019 provincial election
  • Henry Garfield "Gar" Pardy, Canadian former diplomat in the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs
  • Adam Pardy (b. 1984), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player from Bonavista, Newfoundland


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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