Purves (surname)

Purves is a surname of British origin, which is a variant of Purvis. 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"). 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