2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Mcmurchie
A Scottish surname possibly derived from "Murchadh", a Scottish Gaelic personal name meaning "sea warrior".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Mcmurchie. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmurchie surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mcmurchie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Mcmurchie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurchie, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcmurchie
The surname McMurchie has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, specifically in the region of Argyll. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Mhuirich," which translates to "son of Muirich." Muirich itself is a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "muirech," meaning "mariner" or "sailor."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McMurchie can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 14th century. These rolls document a payment made to a "Gillemure Macmurchy" in the year 1388. The spelling "Macmurchy" is believed to be an early variation of the modern McMurchie surname.
In the 16th century, the McMurchie name appears in the records of the Clan Campbell, one of the most powerful clans in the Scottish Highlands. The McMurchies were closely associated with the Campbells and served as their hereditary bards and poets, preserving and reciting the clan's history and traditions.
One notable McMurchie from this era was Muireach Albannach (c. 1570-1650), a renowned Gaelic poet and member of the Clan Campbell's bardic family. His works, which celebrated the deeds of the Campbell chiefs and lamented the loss of Gaelic culture, have been preserved in various manuscript collections.
In the 17th century, the McMurchie surname can be found in the parish records of Inveraray, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Argyll. A prominent figure from this period was John McMurchie (c. 1630-1705), a Presbyterian minister who served as the chaplain to the Earl of Argyll and played a significant role in the religious affairs of the region.
As the centuries progressed, members of the McMurchie family continued to be associated with the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. One notable figure was Alexander McMurchie (1789-1867), a Scottish poet and author who wrote extensively about the history and folklore of the Isle of Arran.
Another influential McMurchie was Sir Thomas McMurchie (1838-1919), a Scottish businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Greenock from 1895 to 1906. He was also a prominent figure in the shipbuilding industry, reflecting the maritime roots of the McMurchie name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmurchie
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurchie, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmurchie bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mcmurchie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmurchie
Mcmurchie appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-6 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,374 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-26 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 22,980 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 12,374 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -26 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 22,980 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mcmurchie surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #130,610 | #153,590 | -17.6% |
| Count | 130 | 104 | -20.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmurchie bearers went from 130 to 104 (-20.0% change). The surname moved down 22,980 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #153,590.
FAQ
Mcmurchie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmurchie?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Mcmurchie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Mcmurchie?
Mcmurchie ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Mcmurchie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Mcmurchie.
Has Mcmurchie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmurchie went from 130 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 26 (-20.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmurchie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurchie, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcmurchie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmurchie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mcmurchie (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mcmurchie mean?
A Scottish surname possibly derived from "Murchadh", a Scottish Gaelic personal name meaning "sea warrior". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mcmurchie (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Mcmurchie?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mcmurchie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.