| Purnell | community in N Wake County on the head of Mud Creek; formerly known as Purnell Crossroads. |
| Purnell Crossroads | See Purnell. |
| Purviance Creek | rises in E New Hanover County and flows E into Masonboro Sound. |
| Purvis | community in W Robeson County. |
| Push | community in S Person County near Aldridge Creek. |
| Putnam | community in N Moore County. Called Johnson City for Harvell Johnson, local resident, until renamed for Israel Putnam (1718-
90), Revolutionary War general, leader, and ancestor of local residents. Alt. 442. |
| Puzzle Creek | rises in E Rutherford County and flows SW into Second Broad River. Quicksand in the creek made it a "puzzle" to early settlers who wondered whether their horses could cross it. |
| Pyatt Creek | rises in SW Avery County and flows E into North Toe River. |
| Pyatte | community in central Avery County. |
| P[ort] Box | appears on the Smith map, 1624, in Pamlico Sound, but the feature for which this name is intended is uncertain. |