Queen Candace's blog: "About Me :)"

I found this very interesting so I'm going to post it here.
Origin Displayed: Irish
Although the Irish had their own system of hereditary surnames and the Strongbow settlers brought with them their own Anglo-Norman naming practices, the two traditions generally worked well together. The name Purcell is an occupational surname, a form of hereditary name that existed in both cultures long before the invaders arrived, but more common to the Anglo-Norman culture. Occupational surnames were derived from a word describing the actual job done by the original name bearer. Early Strongbownian names of this type often used the prefix le, meaning the, in French, but the use of this prefix did not last in the language of the vernacular. The surname Purcell came from a common occupational name for a swineherd. The surname Purcell is derived from the Norman-French word porcel, which in turn comes from the Latin word porcus, which means pig. or piglet. Occupational names such as Purcell frequently were derived from the principal object associated with the activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products. These types of occupational surnames are called metonymic surnames. The Gaelic form of the surname Purcell is Puirséil.

Names were simply spelled as they sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, his name was often spelt in many different ways, explaining the many spelling variations encountered while researching the name Purcell. Some of these variations included: Purcell, Purcel, Pursell, Purcill, Purcells, Percell, Porcell, Percill, Persell, Percel, Pirsell, Porcill, Porsell, Purcelle, Purcele, Persells, Pursells, Purcels, Porcells, Purchell, Purscel, Purtill and many more.

First found in Surrey, where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Purcell: Joseph Purcel, who settled at Barstable in Mass. in 1822; Nancy Purcell and her husband and seven children settled in Quebec in 1825; Andrew, Edward, James, John, Martin, Mathew, Michael (all the men on the purcell side of my family are Michaels), Patrick, Peter Purcell all arrived in Philadelphia (We're just about all born and raised in the Philadelphia area) between 1840 and 1870.

Motto Translated: Either conquer or perish.

For more information on the last name Purcell, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.

I also researched the colors and meaning of the crest. Type of Shield: Saltire - St. Andrew's cross, signifying Resolution, Resolve Shield Colors: Gold - Generosity, Green - Hope, Loyalty in Love, Black - Constancy, Grief Heraldic Beast - Boars Head - Hospitality