Purple

Purple
This is an extraordinary English surname. It has been well recorded in the diocese of Greater London and probably other areas, since at least Elizabethan times in the 16th century. It has however, no obvious meaning. The wearing of purple was banned except for those of the higher nobility and ultimately royalty, which is the reason why 'purple' was and still is highly regarded. The term 'The wearing of the purple' really meant that you had arrived! However there is no indication that this applied to any of the nameholders that we have been able to research, and this suggests that the name may be theatrical. That is to say it was a name given to an actor, one who played the part of a high noble or member of the church, and one who wore the purple on stage. Another explanation is that it was a medieval nickname for somebody who was the opposite to 'noble', in the same way that Little John was the largest man in the band of outlaws lead by Robin Hood. Many surnames started out as nicknames, indeed some researchers suggest that all surnames are nicknames. What we do know is that the name first appears in the surviving registers as Purpoyle, but this was mearly an early spelling of Purple, with William Purpoyle being a witness at St Giles Cripplegate on October 22nd 1597. Another interesting recording is that of Easter Easter Purple, the daughter of Edward Purple. She was christened on April 27th 1645, and was presumably born at Easter although why she should be twice called Easter, is unknown.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Purple — Pur ple, n.; pl. {Purples}. [OE. purpre, pourpre, OF. purpre, porpre, pourpre, F. pourpre, L. purpura purple fish, purple dye, fr. Gr. ? the purple fish, a shell from the purple dye was obtained, purple dye; cf. ? dark (said of the sea), purple,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • PURPLE — Machine. PURPLE (deutsch wörtlich: violett, lila, purpur) war die amerikanische Codebezeichnung für eine Verschlüsselungsmaschine, die von den Japanern vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg konstruiert und für den diplomatischen Dienst eingesetzt wurde. Die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Purple — Pur ple, a. 1. Exhibiting or possessing the color called purple, much esteemed for its richness and beauty; of a deep red, or red and blue color; as, a purple robe. [1913 Webster] 2. Imperial; regal; so called from the color having been an emblem …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Purple-K — is a dry chemical fire suppression agent used in some dry powder fire extinguishers. It is the most effective dry chemical in fighting class B (flammable liquid) fires, and can be used against some energized electrical equipment fires (USA class… …   Wikipedia

  • purple — [pʉr′pəl] n. [ME purpel < OE (Northumbrian) purpl( e), dissimilated var. of WS purpur( e) < L purpura, purple < Gr porphyra, shellfish yielding purple dye] 1. a dark color that is a blend of red and blue 2. Now Rare a) deep crimson b)… …   English World dictionary

  • purple — O.E. purpul, dissimilation (first recorded in Northumbrian, in Lindisfarne gospel) from purpure purple garment, purpuren purple, from L. purpura purple dyed cloak, purple dye, also shellfish from which purple was made, from Gk. porphyra (Cf. e… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Purple — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Para máquina de cifrado, véase PURPLE. Purple Álbum de Stone Temple Pilots Publicación 7 de junio de 1994 …   Wikipedia Español

  • purple — ► NOUN 1) a colour intermediate between red and blue. 2) (also Tyrian purple) a crimson dye obtained from some molluscs, used for robes worn by an emperor or senior magistrate in ancient Rome or Byzantium. 3) (the purple) the scarlet official… …   English terms dictionary

  • Purple — Album par Stone Temple Pilots Sortie 7 juin 1994 (US) Enregistrement 1993 1994 Durée 46:57 Genre Grunge …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Purple — Pur ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Purpled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Purpling}.] To make purple; to dye of purple or deep red color; as, hands purpled with blood. [1913 Webster] When morn Purples the east. Milton. [1913 Webster] Reclining soft in blissful… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • purplė — sf. M, LL259 žr. purplelis: Purplė maža kuo skirias nuo karvelio, nebent tik spalva Blv. Jeigu negalėtų aukauti avinėlio, paims dvi purpli ar du karveliu Blv …   Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language

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