Contents [hide]

Purdy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Purdy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Purdy is a name whose history dates far back into the mists of early British times to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. It is a name for 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 Purdy family

The surname Purdy 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 Purdy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Purdy 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 Purdy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purdy Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Purdy has been recorded under many different variations, including Pardy, Pardie, Pardee, Purdie, Purdew, Purdy, Purdoe, Pardoe and many more.

Early Notables of the Purdy 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 Purdy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purdy Ranking

In the United States, the name Purdy is the 2,535^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Purdy family to Ireland

Some of the Purdy 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.

Purdy migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Purdy or a variant listed above:

Purdy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nathaniel Purdy, who landed in Maryland or Virginia in 1671 4

Purdy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Purdy, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 4
Nicho Purdy, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 4
Anne Purdy, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 4
Thomas Purdy, who settled in Georgia in 1775

Purdy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Purdy, aged 58, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
Gilbert Purdy, aged 24, who landed in New York in 1812 4
Charles Purdy, who settled in Boston with his wife and two children in 1821
Michael Purdy, who arrived in New York in 1821 4
Patrick Purdy, aged 21, who landed in New York in 1841 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Purdy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Purdy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Isaac Purdy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mr. Gilbert Purdy Sr., U.E. (b. 1721) born in Newburgh, Ulster County, New York, USA from Newburgh, Ulster County, New York, USA who died before arriving at Kingston, Ontario c. 1777 he served in the Guides and Pioneers but died in service, his wife Mary Dorland and 7 children arrived in Kingston, Ontario via Sorel, Quebec in 1786 5
Mr. Gilbert Purdy U.E. born in Westchester, New York, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 was a passenger aboard "Cyrus" on August 21, 1783 from New York to Saint John River, he became a Freeman in 1795, was a Fisherman 5
Mrs. Elizabeth Purdy U.E., (Perdy) who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 was a passenger aboard "Cyrus" on August 21, 1783 from New York to Saint John River 5
Mr. Jonathan Purdy U.E., (Perdy) who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 was a passenger aboard "Cyrus" on August 21, 1783 from New York to Saint John River, listed as a child more than 10 years of age, he became a Freeman in 1795 was a Fisherman 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Purdy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Purdy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mrs. Emily Purdy, (b. 1842), aged 45, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Jumna" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 18th September 1887 6

Purdy 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:

Purdy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Purdy, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cresswell" in 1856
Elizabeth Purdy, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name Purdy (post 1700) +

William Ellsworth Purdy (b. 1925), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oregon, 1920
Zalmon F. Purdy, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Monroe, 1910
Wesley W. Purdy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Ohio 17th District, 1946
W. N. Purdy, American politician, Mayor of Bozeman, Montana, 1930-31
T. Boice Purdy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Oakland County 2nd District, 1961
Smith Meade Purdy (1796-1870), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from New York 22nd District, 1843-45
Samuel M. Purdy, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Westchester County 1st District, 1867-68
Robert Obadiah Purdy (1857-1935), American politician, Mayor of Sumter, South Carolina; Circuit Judge in South Carolina, 1902-07
Robert de C. Purdy, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Tela, 1922-32
Robert Purdy, American politician, Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention 4th District, 1835
... (Another 35 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf