Pursley
A surname most likely from an English place-name, probably meaning someone from or near Purslow in Shropshire.
The #8,103 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,469 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is generally treated as a variant spelling of Purslow. That points to an English locational origin, probably from the Shropshire place-name Purslow rather than from an occupation or descriptive nickname. The place-name itself is of Old English origin, though the precise original form is not certain from these excerpts alone.
History
19th-century surname writers grouped Pursley with Purslow, suggesting the modern form developed through spelling variation in England. As with many locational surnames, it would originally have identified someone who had moved away from that place. The surname is now found chiefly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Even small spelling shifts like Purslow > Pursley were common before surnames became fixed in writing.
From the historical record
“Purss Pursley. See Purslow ’urslow. A loc. n., Salop )uadling, Quodling. Dimin. of D. Quaade ; a p.n. See Wadd”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)