2000
#3,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,492
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.52
Uncommon Last name
Mcmurray
A Scottish and Irish topographical surname referring to someone who lived near the mouth of the River Murray.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,870 Americans carry the last name Mcmurray. That puts it at #3,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmurray 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 Mcmurray with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,532
Census rank
#3,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,479 bearers of the surname Mcmurray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurray, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmurray
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurray, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmurray 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 Mcmurray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 7,496
- Black or African American11.8% · 1,120
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 396
- Two or more races3.6% · 339
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmurray
Mcmurray 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
#3,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,824
+332 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.33
Rank movement Down 169 places
2020
#3,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,479
-345 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,444 | 9,492 | 3.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,613 | 9,824 | 3.33 | +332 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 169 places |
| 2020 | #3,652 | 9,479 | 3.17 | -345 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 39 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 Mcmurray 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 | #3,613 | #3,652 | -1.1% |
| Count | 9,824 | 9,479 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.33 | 3.17 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmurray bearers went from 9,824 to 9,479 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,613 to #3,652.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mcmurray
FAQ
Mcmurray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmurray?
Name Census estimates that about 10,870 living Americans carry the surname Mcmurray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,532 residents.
How common is Mcmurray?
Mcmurray ranks #3,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,479 people with the surname Mcmurray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,870), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Mcmurray.
Has Mcmurray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmurray went from 9,824 recorded bearers to 9,479. That is a decrease of 345 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,613 to #3,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmurray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurray, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Mcmurray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (7,496 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmurray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Black (11.8%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Mcmurray (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 Mcmurray mean?
A Scottish and Irish topographical surname referring to someone who lived near the mouth of the River Murray. 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 Mcmurray (3.17 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 share the surname Mcmurray?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.