Purcell, Henry (1659-1695), English composer

Purcell, Edward Mills (1912-1997), U.S. physicist, Nobel Prize winner

Purcell, Steve, comic book artist

Purcell, Dominic, Australian actor

Purcell, Joe (born 1923), former Governor of Arkansas

Purcell, John Baptist (1800-1883), Archbishop of Cincinnati

Purcell, John, recipient of the Victoria Cross

Purcell, Daniel (1664-1717), English composer, younger and less significant brother to Henry

Purcell, William R., North Carolina politician

Purcell, Philip J. - Morgan Stanley CEO 1997-2005

In the United States, there are also places called Purcell, Missouri and Purcell, Oklahoma.

In Canada, the Purcell Mountains, also known as the Purcells, are a major component of the grouping known as the Columbia Mountains; their extension into the United States are called the Percell Mountains.