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Purchase Family History

Purchase Surname Meaning

English (of Norman origin): perhaps an occupational name or nickname from Old French Middle English purchas(e) purchace porchas ‘acquisition gain profit’ used in a transferred sense denoting an official responsible for obtaining the supplies required by a monastery manor or similar.

Alternatively from the same word with the primary senses ‘search pursuit effort’ possibly used for messengers and couriers.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Purchase family from?

You can see how Purchase families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Purchase family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Purchase families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 199 Purchase families living in Somerset. This was about 18% of all the recorded Purchase's in United Kingdom. Somerset had the highest population of Purchase families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Purchase surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Purchase ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Purchase. 12% of Purchase men worked as a General Labourer and 71% of Purchase women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Purchase were Incapacitated and Housewife.

View Census Data for Purchase | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    12%
  • Bricklayer
    8%
  • Builders Labourer
    7%
  • Incapacitated
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    71%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Purchase family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 18,000 census records available for the last name Purchase. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Purchase census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Purchase

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Purchase. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Purchase immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Purchase. For the veterans among your Purchase ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Purchase military records

You've only scratched the surface of Purchase family history

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What is the average Purchase lifespan?

Between 1959 and 2004, in the United States, Purchase life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Purchase in 1959 was 46, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Purchase

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Purchase ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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