2000
#7,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,913
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Murchison
A Scottish locational surname referring to a place near Inverness or from the Gaelic for "sea warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,511 Americans carry the last name Murchison. That puts it at #8,070 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,982 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Murchison 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 Murchison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,982
Census rank
#8,070
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,934 bearers of the surname Murchison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8070th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Murchison, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.6%. The next largest groups are Black (42.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Murchison
The surname Murchison originates from Scotland, with the first recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the lands of Murchison in Ayrshire, which translates to "the son of Maurice" in Gaelic. The name is a territorial designation, indicating that the original bearer of the surname hailed from this particular region.
Early records show variations in spelling, including Murchisone, Muriceson, and Murchieson. One of the earliest appearances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name Murchisone is listed among the Scottish nobles who pledged their loyalty.
In the 14th century, the Murchisons were a prominent family in Ayrshire, with their ancestral lands located near the town of Cumnock. They played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence, supporting Robert the Bruce in his quest for the Scottish throne.
Notable individuals with the surname Murchison include Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1792-1871), a renowned Scottish geologist and pioneer in the study of stratigraphy. He was knighted for his contributions to the field and served as the President of the Royal Geographical Society.
Another notable figure is Sir Alexander Murchison (1829-1904), a Scottish-Australian pastoralist and explorer. He led expeditions into the Australian outback and was instrumental in the development of the northern territories.
In the literary world, Robert Murchison (1741-1821) was a Scottish writer and historian, best known for his work "The History of the Present Rebellion in Scotland" which documented the Jacobite Uprising of 1745.
The surname Murchison has also been associated with several place names, such as Murchison Falls, a waterfall on the Nile River in Uganda, and the Murchison River in Western Australia, both named after Sir Roderick Impey Murchison.
While the Murchisons were predominantly found in Scotland, the name has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient lands of Ayrshire, where the family's legacy began.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Murchison
Among Census respondents with the surname Murchison, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.6%. The next largest groups are Black (42.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Murchison 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 Murchison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.6% · 1,871
- Black or African American42.2% · 1,661
- Two or more races5.6% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Murchison
Murchison 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
#8,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,089
+176 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 260 places
2020
#8,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,934
-155 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,846 | 3,913 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,106 | 4,089 | 1.39 | +176 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 260 places |
| 2020 | #8,070 | 3,934 | 1.32 | -155 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 36 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 Murchison 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 | #8,106 | #8,070 | 0.4% |
| Count | 4,089 | 3,934 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.32 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Murchison bearers went from 4,089 to 3,934 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,106 to #8,070.
FAQ
Murchison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Murchison?
Name Census estimates that about 4,511 living Americans carry the surname Murchison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,982 residents.
How common is Murchison?
Murchison ranks #8,070 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,934 people with the surname Murchison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Murchison.
Has Murchison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Murchison went from 4,089 recorded bearers to 3,934. That is a decrease of 155 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,106 to #8,070.
What does the Census say about the background of Murchison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Murchison, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.6%. The next largest groups are Black (42.2%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Murchison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.6% (1,871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Murchison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.6%), Black (42.2%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Murchison (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 Murchison mean?
A Scottish locational surname referring to a place near Inverness or from the Gaelic for "sea warrior." 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 Murchison (1.32 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 Americans have the surname Murchison?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.