Purves is a surname of British origin, which is a variant of Purvis.[1] It is an occupational surname, meaning the person responsible for obtaining supplies for a household or monastery, derived from the Middle English purveys (meaning "provisions" or "supplies"), from the Old French porveoir ("to provide, supply").[2] Notable people with this surname include:
- Andrew Purves (born 1946), British theologian
- Austin M. Purves Jr. (1900–1977), American artist
- Barry Purves (born 1960), British animator and filmmaker
- Cec Purves (born 1933), Canadian politician
- Christopher Purves (born 1961), British singer
- Dale Purves (born 1938), American neurobiologist
- Daphne Purves (1908–2008), New Zealand educator
- Della Purves (1945–2008), British botanical artist
- Herbert Dudley Purves (1908–1993), New Zealand scientist
- James Purves (disambiguation), several notable people
- Jodie Purves (born 1984), Australian cricketer
- John Purves (disambiguation), several people
- John-Clay Purves (1825–1903), British curator and geologist
- Laidlaw Purves (1842–1917), Scottish surgeon and golf advocate
- Libby Purves (born 1950), British journalist
- Margaret Purves (1934–2021), British recipient of the Albert Medal, later exchanged for the George Cross
- Peter Purves (born 1939), British television presenter and actor
- Ted Purves (born 1964), American artist
- William Purves (banker) (born 1931), British banker
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. "Purves Family History", Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 18 January 2016.
- ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. "Purvis Family History", Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 18 January 2016.