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:

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. "Purves Family History", Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 18 January 2016.
  2. ^ Dictionary of American Family Names. "Purvis Family History", Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 18 January 2016.