Explore the Family Name Purkey
The meaning of Purkey
1. Shortened form of Purkeypile, a surname of German origin. Compare Perkey. 2. Probably also a variant of Burkey, a surname of Swiss German origin (see Burki). History: The Purkeys are (mostly) descendants of one of the sons of Johann Arnold Birckenbuehl (or Birkenbeil, Birkenbeul) from Germany (see Purkeypile).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Purkey in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Purkey has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the course of a decade. In the year 2000, the Purkey surname ranked 12,858 in popularity with a count of 2,194 individuals. By 2010, the rank had slightly dropped to 13,142, representing a 2.21% decrease in popularity. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased by about 6.15%, from 2,194 in 2000 to 2,329 in 2010. The proportion per 100k people also decreased marginally from 0.81 to 0.79 during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,858 | #13,142 | -2.21% |
| Count | 2,194 | 2,329 | 6.15% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.81 | 0.79 | -2.47% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Purkey
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insights into the ethnicity breakdown for the surname Purkey. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, making up 94.26% in 2000 and decreasing slightly to 91.58% in 2010. Over this decade, there were notable increases among those identifying as Black (from 1.46% to 2.53%) and those identifying with two or more races (from 1.19% to 2.02%). Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native showed modest increases, while the Hispanic demographic also saw growth, rising from 1.96% to 2.53%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.26% | 91.58% | -2.84% |
| Hispanic | 1.96% | 2.53% | 29.08% |
| Black | 1.46% | 2.53% | 73.29% |
| Two or More Races | 1.19% | 2.02% | 69.75% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.91% | 1.07% | 17.58% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.23% | 0.26% | 13.04% |