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Home › Baby Names Directory › Pervis

Pervis

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Pervis

Pronounced PUR-viss /ˈpɜr.vɪs/Medium

Meaning: Pervis is a variant of Purvis, an English and Scottish occupational surname from Old French porveis, 'provisions', for a purveyor who supplied food to a household or monastery. Taken up as a first name, it carries the surname's history rather than a separate personal meaning.Low

In 30 seconds: Pervis varies Purvis, a surname for a purveyor of provisions. It was a rare given name across the last century (said PUR-viss).
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Origin LowEnglish, Scottish
MeaningPervis is a variant of Purvis, an English and Scottish occupational surname from Old French porveis, 'provisions', for a purveyor who supplied food to a household or monastery. Taken up as a first name, it carries the surname's history rather than a separate personal meaning.
U.S. rank (2002)#12007 ↘ Falling
2002 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1965
Total births (all-time)≈ 878

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 196518922002

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Pervis reflects the surname Purvis, 'a purveyor of provisions', adopted as a first name in the United States from the 1890s onward. It touched a small high near the mid-1960s and was never common, given to only a couple dozen boys a year.

A man named Pervis might be of a grandfather's generation, and the name is carried into music and sports by figures like Pervis Staples of the Staple Singers and the basketball player Pervis Ellison. Perv is avoided as a short form, so it tends to be used in full.

Did you know? The surname behind Pervis, Purvis, named a purveyor, the officer who supplied provisions to a great house or monastery.
Overall data confidence 40%
References — Pervis — Variant of Purvis; occupational surname 'purveyor'; bearers Staples/Ellison

Variations

PurvisPervish

Nicknames

Vis

Famous Bearers

  • ★Pervis Staples (1935-2021)
    American singer, a founding member of the Staple Singers

If you like Pervis…

Purvis— the standard surname spelling
Ervin— a like vintage -vin/-vis boy's name
Dervin— a similar uncommon vintage name
Alvis— a close-sounding surname-name

Explore names like Pervis

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Pervis mean?

It varies Purvis, an occupational surname for a purveyor, one who supplied provisions.

How do you pronounce Pervis?

It's said PUR-viss /ˈpɜr.vɪs/, two syllables with the stress on the first.

Is Pervis a boy or girl name?

Pervis is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Pervis?

It was always rare, reaching a small high in the mid-nineteen-sixties and given to only a couple dozen boys a year.

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