| ![Show Contents]() Purple Surname History
- Origins Available:
 England The surname Purple is of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is derived from the Old English word "purpul," itself derived from the Latin "purpure," meaning "purple." The color purple has been associated with royalty and status since the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans; thus, the surname Purple may have been originally bestowed as a nickname on someone with an aristocratic air. Early Origins of the Purple familyThe surname Purple was first found in Norfolk, where the ancestral home of the Purple family is thought to be located. Anglo-Saxon surnames grew less prominent during the centuries following the Norman Conquest of 1066, when the French language was being fiercely promoted by the higher classes, but the surname Purple survived and can still be found today, particularly in the county of Norfolk. Early History of the Purple familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Purple research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1649, 1808 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Purple History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Purple Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Purple, Purpel, Purpul and others. Early Notables of the Purple familyDistinguished members of the family include - Norman Higgins Purple (1808-1863), a lawyer, judge, and author, and the Purple family of Norfolk, England
Migration of the Purple familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: John Purple and his wife Alice, who settled in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1720 with their daughters Abigail, Perthenia, and Mersey.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Purple (post 1700) | + |
- Mrs. W. C. Purple, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1928
- Norman H. Purple, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Illinois, 1844; Justice of Illinois State Supreme Court, 1845-48; Delegate to Illinois State Constitutional Convention Peoria and Stark counties, 1862
- Mayo Smith Purple (1860-1942), American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from East Hampton, 1885, 1933-40
- Hascall C. Purple, American politician, Member of Nebraska territorial House of Representatives, 1855
- Samuel Smith Purple (d. 1900), prominent American physician, and David Purpel, a professor at the University of North Carolina
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