2000
#2,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,987
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.56
Uncommon Last name
Purdy
From an English surname meaning "pretty" or "attractive," derived from the Old French "purdie."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,454 Americans carry the last name Purdy. That puts it at #2,455 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,831 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Purdy surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Purdy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,831
Census rank
#2,455
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,349 bearers of the surname Purdy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2455th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Purdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Purdy
The surname Purdy originated in Normandy, France, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "purdi," which means "lost" or "wandering." This name was likely given to someone who was deemed a wanderer or someone who had become lost.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Pordic." This reference suggests that the name had already been established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Purdi" and "Purday" in various English historical documents. During this time, the surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Leicestershire.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Purdy, who lived in the late 14th century and served as a member of Parliament for Staffordshire. Another early example is Thomas Purdy, born around 1450 in Leicestershire, who was a prominent landowner and farmer.
In the 16th century, the name's spelling evolved to its modern form, "Purdy." During this period, the name was associated with the village of Purdy Green in Staffordshire, which likely contributed to its widespread use in the area.
In the 17th century, the name gained recognition through the exploits of Captain Henry Purdy, a British naval officer who served in the Anglo-Dutch Wars. He was born in 1624 and played a significant role in several notable naval battles.
Another influential figure was Robert Purdy, born in 1678 in Warwickshire. He was a prominent merchant and landowner who made significant contributions to the local economy and infrastructure.
In the 18th century, the Purdy surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America, as a result of British colonization. One notable bearer of the name during this time was William Purdy, born in 1720 in Connecticut. He was a respected farmer and community leader who played a role in the American Revolutionary War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Purdy
Among Census respondents with the surname Purdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Purdy bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Purdy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 12,140
- Black or African American4.6% · 662
- Two or more races4.4% · 638
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 597
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 245
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Purdy
Purdy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,126
+139 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 5.13
Rank movement Down 170 places
2020
#2,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,349
-777 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 4.80
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,226 | 14,987 | 5.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,396 | 15,126 | 5.13 | +139 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 170 places |
| 2020 | #2,455 | 14,349 | 4.80 | -777 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 59 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Purdy surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,396 | #2,455 | -2.5% |
| Count | 15,126 | 14,349 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.13 | 4.80 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Purdy bearers went from 15,126 to 14,349 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,396 to #2,455.
FAQ
Purdy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Purdy?
Name Census estimates that about 16,454 living Americans carry the surname Purdy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,831 residents.
How common is Purdy?
Purdy ranks #2,455 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,349 people with the surname Purdy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,454), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Purdy.
Has Purdy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Purdy went from 15,126 recorded bearers to 14,349. That is a decrease of 777 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,396 to #2,455.
What does the Census say about the background of Purdy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Purdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Purdy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (12,140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Purdy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.6%), Black (4.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Purdy (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Purdy mean?
From an English surname meaning "pretty" or "attractive," derived from the Old French "purdie." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Purdy (4.80 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Purdy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.