Purifoy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Purifoy is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Purifoy was a Norman name used for a man of true faith. The name was originally derived from the Old French purefei, meaning one who was staunch and true and by my faith

"The present spelling is a popular etymology, 'pure faith', which arose when per, par and pur fell together in pronunciation. " 1

Early Origins of the Purifoy family

The surname Purifoy was first found in Staffordshire where the Feet of Fines list William Parfei in 1195 and Henry Parfei in the Assize Rolls of 1203. Later in Sussex, Robert Parfoy was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1296. In Warwickshire, William Purfey was listed there in the 13th century. Again in Sussex, we found Ralph Perfai in 1327 and Ralph Parfay in 1332. Later again, William Purefay was found in Leicestershire in 1412. 1

"The family were seated at Misterton, co. Leicester, in 1277. The motto borne by one branch is 'Pure foy est ma joie.'" 2

Early History of the Purifoy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Purifoy research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1557, 1580, 1617, 1627, 1628, 1631, 1649 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Purifoy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purifoy Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Purefoy, Purefield, Purefree, Purefrey, Purfrey, Purfry and many more.

Early Notables of the Purifoy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Purefoy (c.1580-1659) who was appointed to the High Court of Justice that tried and condemned King Charles I in 1649. He was eldest son of Francis Purefoy (d. 1617), and was elected Member of Parliament for Coventry (1627-1628) and Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1631. He joined in the signing...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Purifoy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purifoy Ranking

In the United States, the name Purifoy is the 9,197^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Purifoy family to Ireland

Some of the Purifoy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purifoy migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Purifoy name or one of its variants:

Purifoy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Fred D. Purifoy, aged 32, arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "Morro Castle" from Nassau 4
Frederick D. Purifoy, aged 32, arrived in New York, NY, USA in 1910 aboard the ship "Vigilancia" from Nassau, Bahamas 4
Haskill Purifoy, aged 31, arrived in New York in 1921 from Valencia, Spain 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Purifoy (post 1700) +

Noah S. Purifoy (1917-2004), American visual artist and sculptor, co-founder of the Watts Towers Art Center
Dana D. Purifoy (b. 1955), American pilot in the Flight Crew Branch of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, eponym of 13063 Purifoy, a minor planet
Tristan Purifoy (b. 1990), American football wide receiver for the Columbus Lions
Loucheiz Purifoy (b. 1992), American CFL football cornerback for the BC Lions

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result