The origins of these surnames are of interest because they are often strong geographic associations, e.g in the 1800s: PEAVEY is much rarer in England than in the USA, PAVELY/PAVELEY/PEAVELY/PEVLEY is strongly associated with Essex/Herts/Cambs  (England), PEVERLEY/PEVERLY & PEVERELL is associated with Durham & Northumberland areas &  PAVEY and PEPPERELL with Devon. There is evidence for name changes from PEVEREL to PEVERLY to PEAVEY etc. Many PEAVEYs in the USA claim descent from a John PEVERLY/PEVEREL who was an early immigrant who died in 1631 in New England, but DNA testing shows that there are several origins for names like PEAVEY.


A second interest in these surnames is the frequent claims of descents from wealthy PEVERELL ancestors, with Royal connections, going back to the 11th Century and even possibly being descendants of William the Conquerer.