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

McMurray, 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 McMurray surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McMurray in America

McMurray is the 3613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McMurray surname appeared 9,824 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname McMurray.

We can also compare 2010 data for McMurray 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 McMurray

The surname McMurray has its origins in the Scottish Highlands and Isles. It is a habitational name derived from the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Mhuirich" meaning "son of the mariner" or "son of the sea-prospector." The earliest known bearers of the name were descendants of the clan MacMhuirich, who were renowned as professional poets and historians to the Lords of the Isles.

The McMurray name can be traced back to the 13th century on the Isle of Mull, located in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Early records show variations of the spelling, such as MacMurrich, MacMurray, and MacMhuirich. The name is believed to have originated from the Gaelic personal name "Muireach" or "Murrich," meaning "mariner" or "one who scours the sea."

One of the earliest known references to the McMurray name appears in the Book of the Dean of Lismore, a 16th-century manuscript compiled by Sir James MacGregor, the Dean of Lismore. This manuscript contains poems and genealogies of Scottish clans, including works by members of the MacMhuirich family.

In the 17th century, Lachlan McMurray (1630-1700) was a prominent member of the clan and served as the last official "seanachaidh" or hereditary historian to the MacDonalds of Sleat. His son, Niall McMurray (1670-1734), continued the family tradition as a poet and historian.

During the 18th century, John McMurray (1720-1790) was a Scottish Episcopalian clergyman who served as the Bishop of Virginia from 1771 until his death. He played a significant role in the early days of the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Another notable figure with the McMurray surname was William McMurray (1813-1894), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded the McMurray College for Women in Abilene, Texas, which later became part of the University of Texas system.

In the 20th century, John McMurray (1891-1976) was a Scottish philosopher and professor at the University of Edinburgh. He made significant contributions to the fields of philosophy of education and ethics, and his works include "The Problem of the Self" and "The Structure of Language and Its Philosophical Import."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McMurray

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

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 McMurray 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 McMurray 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 McMurray was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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