Purple One-Name Study

Purple
One-Name Study

Topics

About the Purple One-Name Study
Variants
Origin of the surname
Data
Contact Details

About the Purple One-Name Study

My Purple One-Name Study is an on-going collection of data, history, location, personal histories and photographs of the Purple Families that I have come across over the last twenty five years. This collection will eventually covers all Countries with this surname.

Variants

Variants of this surname are as follows:- Purpell, Purphell, Perple/s, Perpall, Purpill, Purpyll and Purpoyle.

Origin of the surname

The first explanation of the surname Purple is a description of a personal or physical characteristic of the initial bearer. Derived from the Old and Middle English word 'purpel', from the Latin 'purpure' which means 'purple'. This indicates 'one who habitually dressed in purple', which was a colour associated with high rank and royalty. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans purple robes were a mark of dignity and were worn by magistrates, military commanders and kings, and thus it soon became a symbol of luxury and power.

The second explanation of the surname Purple is an imitative form of the surname Pople, Popple. Derived from the place where the initial bearer may have lived. From the Middle English 'popler, from the Old French, poplier, peuple, meaning 'poplar tree'.

Data

Data collected starts from about 1525 with Mary Purple of Essex. Data has been collected from many County areas of England, Cambridge, Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex, Surrey, London areas, Middlesex, Manchester and Yorkshire.

Also collected much from America areas, Australia, Canada and Ireland, present study.

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Miss Jennifer J Purple
'Purple Peace',
37 Old Hospital Mews,
Hospital Walk,
Kings Lynn,
Norfolk
PE30 5RU
UNITED KINGDOM
E-mail:

This page last updated 13 January 2012.