Find out how popular the last name McMurphy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McMurphy.

McMurphy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McMurphy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McMurphy in America

McMurphy is the 25751st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McMurphy surname appeared 957 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McMurphy.

We can also compare 2010 data for McMurphy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McMurphy

The surname McMurphy has its origins in Scotland and Ireland, and is derived from the ancient Gaelic personal name "Murchadh," which means "sea warrior" or "sea battler." This name was quite popular among the seafaring communities of the Scottish Highlands and Coastal regions of Ireland during the medieval period.

The earliest recorded instances of the name McMurphy can be traced back to the 12th century in various Scottish and Irish historical records and charters. It was initially spelled as "McMurchadha" or "McMurchadh," which later evolved into the more anglicized form of "McMurphy."

One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Sir John McMurphy, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the First War of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another notable figure was Angus McMurphy, a 16th-century Irish chieftain from County Donegal, who was renowned for his resistance against English colonization.

In the 17th century, the McMurphy surname was also associated with the Scottish Clan Murray, which had its ancestral lands in the Highlands. Several McMurphy families were recorded as tenants or vassals of the Clan Murray during this period.

As the McMurphy name spread across Scotland and Ireland, it acquired various spelling variations, such as McMurfy, McMurfie, and McMurffie. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes.

Other notable individuals bearing the McMurphy surname include:

1. James McMurphy (1720-1798), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
2. John McMurphy (1819-1892), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Manitoba.
3. Edward McMurphy (1853-1914), an American politician who served as the United States Representative from Oklahoma.
4. Kathleen McMurphy (1893-1976), an Irish writer and journalist known for her contributions to the Irish feminist movement.
5. Patrick McMurphy (1922-2002), a Scottish-born Australian actor who appeared in several films and television shows during the mid-20th century.

While the McMurphy surname is most prevalent in Scotland, Ireland, and their respective diasporas, it has also gained a foothold in other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McMurphy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McMurphy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McMurphy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McMurphy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McMurphy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McMurphy, please contact us.

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