Contents [hide]

Purvis History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Purvis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Purvis surname is generally thought to have come from the Middle English word "purveys," meaning "provisions," or "supplies;" and as such it was likely an occupational name, for a person responsible for procuring the supplies of a monastery or manor house. 1

One source claims the English name comes from the "(Anglo-French-Latin), dweller at a Parvis or Porch (gen. of a church) [Anglo-French parvys, Old French parvis, Low Latin paravis-us; Latin paradis-us] The parvis, or portico, of old St. Paul’s was much frequented by lawyers." 2

"A Sergeant of the Lawe, war and wys, That often hadde ben at the Parvys." Chaucer, Canterbury Tales.

Early Origins of the Purvis family

The surname Purvis was first found in Suffolk where "the Purvises of Darsham [may have] originated from the family of Purvis 'of that Ilk' in Scotland. 'That Ilk,' however, does not appear to be identified, although the name Purvoys, or Perves, is found in ancient records of the Lowland counties. I think the name is more likely to be derived from the Anglo-Norman pervis, or praise." 3

Another source concurs with the Scottish origin theory, 4 but as an occupational name, we are uncertain as to which came first. We do note that Gilbert Purveys was found in London in 1400 and Eva Purveys was found in Norfolk in 1450. 4

"In 1451 John Graunger of the butlery of the Prioress of St Radegund, Cambridge, was paid 3s. 'in regardo pro officio Purvis domine' (Rad 174), the editor explaining Purvis as 'a servant who acted as purveyor, provisor'. cf. OFr porveor 'provider' of supplies, especially in a hospital. ' 4

Early History of the Purvis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Purvis research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1296, 1450, 1453, 1524, 1590, 1715, 1772 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Purvis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purvis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Purvis, Purves, Purvice, Purvess and others.

Early Notables of the Purvis family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Charles Wager Purvis (1715-1772), English Rear-Admiral of the Royal Navy of the Purvis family of Darsham, county Suffolk

Purvis Ranking

In the United States, the name Purvis is the 1,726^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Purvis family to Ireland

Some of the Purvis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purvis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Purvis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

David Purvis, who settled in Virginia in 1693

Purvis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sarah Purvis, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 6
Tho Purvis, who landed in Virginia in 1705 6
James Purvis, who settled in Rappahannock, VA in 1740
James Purvis, who settled in Virginia in 1741
Ann Purvis, who settled in Annapolis, Maryland in 1754
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Purvis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas and William Purvis, who settled in Philadelphia in 1800
James and Jane Purvis, who arrived in Virginia in 1805
Jane Purvis, who arrived in America in 1805 6
James Purvis, aged 38, who landed in Virginia in 1812 6
William B Purvis, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1834 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Purvis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Purvis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Purvis U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 7

Purvis Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Miss. Roseanna Purvis, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Aberdeen" departing 1st May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 13th June 1847 but she died on board 8

Purvis migration to Australia +

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

Purvis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Purvis, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
John Purvis, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1846 10
James Purvis, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Mr. John Purvis, English black smith who was convicted in Newcastle-on-Tyne, Northumberland, England for 15 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Clara" on 19th March 1857, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 11

Purvis 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:

Purvis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Isabella Purvis, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
Mr. George A. Purvis, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lord Burleigh" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th August 1856 12
Mr. Robert Purvis, (b. 1859), aged 9 days, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 12
Mrs. Janet Purvis, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 12
Mr. James Purvis, (b. 1834), aged 25, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Purvis (post 1700) +

Roy L. Purvis, American politician, Mayor of Gainesville, Florida, 1953
Ralph Purvis, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Kansas, 1972
Melvin Horace III Purvis (1939-1986), American Democratic Party politician, Minister; Candidate for U.S. Senator from South Carolina, 1984
Melvin Horace Purvis Jr. (1903-1960), American Democratic Party politician, FBI agent; Involved in the capture or killing of outlaws in the 1930s, including John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd
Charles B. Purvis, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from District of Columbia, 1880
Harry H. Purvis, American politician, Representative from New York 4th District, 1962
Charles Purvis, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Shrewsbury, Missouri, 2010
C. H. Purvis, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Gold Democrat National Convention from Arkansas, 1896
Albanus C. Purvis, American politician, Representative from Ohio 11th District, 1906
William Purvis (b. 1948), American French horn player and conductor
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Purvis family +

USS Arizona

Mr. William R. Purvis, American Fireman Third Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 13

The Purvis Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Clarior e Tenebris
Motto Translation: The brighter from previous obscurity.

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 93)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Hooghly.htm
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 11th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clara
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html