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

Morphy, 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 Morphy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morphy in America

Morphy is the 76533rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morphy surname appeared 251 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 Morphy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morphy 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 Morphy

The surname Morphy has its origins in Ireland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "morbhaigh," meaning "a mariner" or "a sailor." The name was particularly prevalent in coastal regions of Ireland, where many residents worked as sailors or in maritime trades.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Morphy surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1169, a man named Muircheartach Morphy is mentioned as a prominent chieftain in County Donegal.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Irish families with the Morphy surname fled to other parts of Europe and North America due to political and religious turmoil in their homeland. This diaspora helped to spread the name across various regions.

In England, the Morphy name can be traced back to the late 16th century. One notable individual was Sir Robert Morphy (1557-1624), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1619.

The Morphy surname also found its way to the United States, where it became associated with several notable figures. One of the earliest was Paul Morphy (1837-1884), widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Morphy achieved numerous victories against top European players during his short career.

Another famous American Morphy was Charles Morphy (1825-1893), a renowned architect who designed many notable buildings in New Orleans, including the St. Louis Cathedral and the Louisiana State Capitol.

In the realm of literature, Edna Ferber (née Morphy, 1885-1968) was a celebrated American novelist and playwright. Her works, such as "Show Boat" and "Giant," captured the spirit of American life and earned her a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1925.

The Morphy name has also left its mark in various other fields, from politics to sports. Regardless of their endeavors, those who bear this surname can trace their roots back to the maritime heritage of ancient Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morphy

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

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

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

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