Purves is a surname of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

origin, which is a variant of Purvis. It is an

occupational surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

, meaning the person responsible for obtaining supplies for a household or monastery, derived from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

''purveys'' (meaning "provisions" or "supplies"), from the

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

''porveoir'' ("to provide, supply").''Dictionary of American Family Names''
"Purvis Family History"
Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 18 January 2016. Notable people with this surname include: * Andrew Purves (born 1946), British theologian * Austin M. Purves Jr. (1900–1977), American multi-media artist * Barry Purves (born 1960), British animator and filmmaker * Bill Purves (born 1870), Irish footballer * Cec Purves (born 1933), Canadian politician * Charlie Purves (1921–2013), English footballer * Christopher Purves (born 1961), British opera singer * Dale Purves (born 1938), American neuroscientist * Daphne Purves (1908–2008), New Zealand educator *

David Purves Dr. David Purves (9 April 1924 – 3 January 2015) was a Scottish environmental scientist, playwright and poet, and a champion of the Scots language. Early life Purves was born in Selkirk, Scotland, the only son of James Alexander Purves, a m ...

(1924–2015), Scottish environmental scientist, playwright, poet and champion of the Scots language * Della Purves (1945–2008), British botanical artist * Edmund R. Purves (1897–1964), American architect * Herbert Purves (1908–1993), New Zealand medical researcher * James Purves (disambiguation) *

Jane Purves Jane Stopford Purves (July 22, 1949 – June 1, 2013) was a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 1999 provincial election. She represented the electoral district of Halifax Citadel as a member of t ...

(1949–2013), Canadian politician *

Jodie Purves Jodie Maree Fields (, born 19 June 1984) is a sports administrator, coach, women's sport and physical activity advocate, and former Australian cricket player. Fields grew up in Queensland playing boy's and men's cricket before playing women's ...

(born 1984), Australian sports administrator, coach and former cricketer *

John Purves (disambiguation) John Purves may refer to: * John Purves (ice hockey) (born 1968), Canadian ice hockey player * John Purves (politician) (1847–1915), Australian politician * John Archibald Purves (1870–1952), English electrical engineer * John Todd Purves (), ...

John-Clay Purves John-Clay Purves MD (30 January 1825–26 July 1903) was a British geologist and museum curator. Biography Purves initially qualified in medicine at the University of Edinburgh before joining the army and travelling as an army doctor. He had ...

(1825–1903), British museum curator and geologist * J. R. W. Purves (1903–1979), Australian lawyer and philatelist *

Laidlaw Purves William Laidlaw Purves MRCS, LRCP (16 April 1842 – 30 December 1917) was a Scottish-born surgeon who worked in London as an aural and ophthalmic surgeon. He contributed specialist articles to the medical literature but is mainly remembered for ...

(1842–1917), Scottish surgeon and golf advocate *

Libby Purves Elizabeth Mary Purves, (born 2 February 1950) is a British radio presenter, journalist and author. Early life and career Born in London, a diplomat's daughter, Purves was raised in her mother's Catholic faith and educated at convent school ...

(born 1950), British journalist *

Margaret Purves Margaret Purves George Cross, GC (née Vaughan; 25 November 1934 – 12 September 2021) was a British nurseAlderson, Andrew and Karyn Miller"For Valour: the bravest of the brave gather to mark the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross,"''The Te ...

(1934–2021), British recipient of the Albert Medal, later exchanged for the George Cross *

Peter Purves Peter John Purves (; born 10 February 1939) is an English television presenter and actor. Beginning his career as an actor, he joined ''Doctor Who'' to play Steven Taylor (Doctor Who), Steven Taylor, a companion of the First Doctor, which he play ...

(born 1939), British television presenter and actor *

Ted Purves Ted Purves (1964 – July 4, 2017) was an American artist, educator, and independent curator living in Oakland, California. He was the chair of the first Social Practice graduate program in the US, at the California College of the Arts in San Fra ...

(born 1964), American artist *

William Purves (banker) Sir William "Willie" Purves, (, born 27 December 1931) was a Scottish banker until his retirement in 1998. He was the first Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings following the creation of a holding company to act as parent to The Hongkong and Shangha ...

(born 1931), British banker *

William Purves (rugby union) William Purves (4 July 1888 – 18 September 1964) was a Scotland international rugby union player.Bath, p137 Rugby Union career Amateur career He played for Cambridge University. He played for London Scottish. Provincial career He played ...

(), Scottish rugby union player

References

{{surname Surnames of British Isles origin English-language surnames