NameCensus.

UK surname

Purr

A surname derived from the sound made by a contented cat.

In the 1881 census there were 124 people recorded with the Purr surname, ranking it #17,429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 89, ranked #32,297, down from #17,429 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to One House, London parishes and Stowmarket. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, South Northamptonshire and St Edmundsbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Purr is 167 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 28.2%.

1881 census count

124

Ranked #17,429

Modern count

89

2016, ranked #32,297

Peak year

1891

167 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 1998

Key insights

  • Purr had 124 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,429 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 89 in 2016, ranked #32,297.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 167 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Purr surname distribution map

The map shows where the Purr surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Purr surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Purr over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 115 #15,634
1861 historical 147 #15,539
1881 historical 124 #17,429
1891 historical 167 #17,006
1901 historical 113 #21,296
1911 historical 119 #20,535
1997 modern 111 #25,394
1998 modern 112 #25,856
1999 modern 109 #26,439
2000 modern 109 #26,381
2001 modern 107 #26,328
2002 modern 109 #26,552
2003 modern 107 #26,617
2004 modern 100 #27,964
2005 modern 95 #28,817
2006 modern 96 #28,946
2007 modern 94 #29,650
2008 modern 91 #30,431
2009 modern 97 #30,076
2010 modern 96 #30,854
2011 modern 93 #31,169
2012 modern 83 #32,611
2013 modern 89 #32,248
2014 modern 90 #32,309
2015 modern 89 #32,325
2016 modern 89 #32,297

Geography

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Where Purrs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around One House, London parishes, Stowmarket and Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, South Northamptonshire, St Edmundsbury and Camden. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 One House Suffolk
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Stowmarket Suffolk
5 Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 009 Cornwall
2 South Northamptonshire 007 South Northamptonshire
3 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury
4 South Northamptonshire 004 South Northamptonshire
5 Camden 003 Camden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Purr

These lists show first names that appear often with the Purr surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Purr

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Purr, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Purr surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Purr household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Purr is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Purr is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Purr falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Purr is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Purr, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Purr

The surname "PURR" is believed to have originated in Germany during the late 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "purren," which means "to murmur" or "to hum." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone with a soft, gentle voice or perhaps even a person who made humming or murmuring sounds.

The earliest known record of the name "PURR" appears in a German parish register from the year 1487, where a man named Hans Purr is listed as a resident of a small village near the town of Mainz. It is likely that the name originated in this region before spreading to other parts of Germany and eventually to other countries.

In the 16th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Purre," can be found in a collection of legal records from the city of Augsburg. This document mentions a merchant named Jakob Purre, who was involved in a trade dispute with another local businessman.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname "PURR" was Johann Purr, a German composer and organist who lived from 1592 to 1657. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the Lutheran church cantata and for his service as the organist at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig.

Another prominent figure with this surname was Friedrich Purr, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1718 to 1798. He was a professor at the University of Göttingen and wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, logic, and the philosophy of education.

In the 19th century, there was a German artist named Wilhelm Purr (1821-1892) who was renowned for his landscape paintings and portraits. His works were exhibited in several major galleries across Europe during his lifetime.

Moving into the 20th century, one notable individual with the surname "PURR" was Karl Purr, a German-American engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early television technology. He was born in 1885 and worked for companies such as Westinghouse and RCA, where he contributed to the design and refinement of various television systems.

It is worth noting that while the surname "PURR" originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the German language and the specific region where it first emerged centuries ago.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Purr families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Purr surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Cambridgeshire leads with 49 Purrs recorded in 1881 and an index of 63.96x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 49 63.96x
Suffolk 32 21.72x
Middlesex 15 1.24x
Surrey 10 1.70x
Bedfordshire 6 9.58x
Buckinghamshire 3 4.10x
Kent 3 0.73x
Norfolk 3 1.61x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.61x
Staffordshire 1 0.24x
Warwickshire 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chippenham in Cambridgeshire leads with 43 Purrs recorded in 1881 and an index of 15925.93x.

Place Total Index
Chippenham 43 15925.93x
Newmarket St Mary 10 884.96x
Onehouse 9 6428.57x
Great Finborough 6 3529.41x
Sandy 6 545.45x
Sutton 5 117.37x
Clerkenwell London 4 14.01x
Dullingham 4 1176.47x
St Marylebone London 4 6.19x
Sudbury St Gregory 4 338.98x
Wimbledon 4 60.42x
Buckingham 3 201.34x
Deptford St Paul 3 9.43x
Holy Trinity Cambridge 2 240.96x
Riddlesworth 2 5000.00x
St George Hanover 2 12.67x
St Pancras London 2 2.05x
Buxhall 1 500.00x
Chiswick 1 15.13x
Edgbaston 1 10.57x
Fulham London 1 5.70x
Lowestoft 1 14.37x
Nottingham St Mary 1 2.37x
Paddington London 1 2.25x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 4.11x
Stowmarket 1 58.82x
Weeting With Broomhill 1 714.29x
Wolstanton 1 8.06x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Purr surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 6
Sarah 5
Elizabeth 3
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Kate 3
Ann 2
Caroline 2
E. 2
Eliza 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Alicia 1
Amelia 1
Annie 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertha 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Selina 1
Susannah 1
Zillar 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Purr surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 7
George 6
Charles 5
James 5
John 5
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Richard 3
Henry 2
Isaac 2
Joseph 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Albt. 1
Bertram 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Fred. 1
Frederick 1
Frediric 1
H. 1
Harry 1
Lancastor 1
Luke 1
Philip 1
Robert 1
Silas 1
Stanton 1
Victor 1
W. 1

FAQ

Purr surname: questions and answers

How common was the Purr surname in 1881?

In 1881, 124 people were recorded with the Purr surname. That placed it at #17,429 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Purr surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 89 in 2016. That gives Purr a modern rank of #32,297.

What does the Purr surname mean?

A surname derived from the sound made by a contented cat.

What does the Purr map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Purr bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.