2000
#8,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,726
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Mcmurry
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a person who was a miller or worked in a grain mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,090 Americans carry the last name Mcmurry. That puts it at #8,824 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcmurry 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.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,803
Census rank
#8,824
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,567 bearers of the surname Mcmurry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8824th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurry, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcmurry
The surname McMurry has its origins in Scotland, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a Gaelic name derived from the elements "mac" meaning "son of" and "Murchadh" or "Murchaidh," which is a personal name derived from the Gaelic words "muir" meaning "sea" and "cath" meaning "battle." This suggests that the name may have originated from an ancestor who was a skilled seafarer or naval warrior.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various Scottish records and manuscripts with spellings such as "MacMurchy," "MacMurchy," and "MacMurquhye." The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Argyll and the Western Isles, where it was associated with several notable families and clans.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments of homage to Edward I of England, indicating that individuals bearing the name were landowners or persons of importance during that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Gillecrist McMurchy, who served as the Bishop of Argyll between 1293 and 1301. Another notable figure was John McMurray, a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1589 to 1657 and made significant contributions to the advancement of science during the Renaissance.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McMurry name was associated with several prominent families in Scotland, including the McMurrays of Auchindrain and the McMurrays of Balgrigie. These families held influential positions and played important roles in the political and social fabric of their respective regions.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition with the birth of William McMurray (1718-1794), a Scottish poet and playwright who was known for his works such as "The Conquest of Quebec" and "The Pursuits of Literature."
Another notable individual was James McMurray (1768-1837), a Scottish-born American politician and military officer who served as a brigadier general in the War of 1812 and was later elected as a U.S. Representative from Virginia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcmurry
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurry, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcmurry 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 Mcmurry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 2,877
- Black or African American11.5% · 411
- Two or more races4.4% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcmurry
Mcmurry 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
#8,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,687
-39 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 687 places
2020
#8,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,567
-120 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,195 | 3,726 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,882 | 3,687 | 1.25 | -39 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 687 places |
| 2020 | #8,824 | 3,567 | 1.19 | -120 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 58 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 Mcmurry 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 | #8,882 | #8,824 | 0.7% |
| Count | 3,687 | 3,567 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.19 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcmurry bearers went from 3,687 to 3,567 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,882 to #8,824.
FAQ
Mcmurry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcmurry?
Name Census estimates that about 4,090 living Americans carry the surname Mcmurry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,803 residents.
How common is Mcmurry?
Mcmurry ranks #8,824 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,567 people with the surname Mcmurry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcmurry.
Has Mcmurry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcmurry went from 3,687 recorded bearers to 3,567. That is a decrease of 120 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,882 to #8,824.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcmurry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcmurry, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mcmurry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (2,877 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcmurry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Black (11.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Mcmurry (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 Mcmurry mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a person who was a miller or worked in a grain mill. 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 Mcmurry (1.19 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 common is the surname Mcmurry?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Mcmurry? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.