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

Murden, 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 Murden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Murden in America

Murden is the 32676th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Murden surname appeared 703 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 Murden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Murden 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 Murden

The surname Murden is of English origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "morden," meaning "murder" or "violent death." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or occupational name for someone involved in a violent incident or perhaps a soldier or executioner.

The earliest known record of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated 1273, which mentions a Walter Morden. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records maintained by English kings to record the holdings of landowners and their tenants. The spelling variations in these early records include Morden, Mordenn, and Mordun.

In the 14th century, the name can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Morden is listed in 1317. This suggests that the name had spread from its likely origins in the southeast of England to other parts of the country.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Murden, a prominent military commander who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1310 and participated in several notable battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the Siege of Calais in 1347.

Another notable figure was Richard Murden, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Kent who lived in the late 15th century. Records show that he owned properties in Canterbury and surrounding areas, indicating the name's continued presence in the southeast.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the parish records of St. Dunstan's in Cranbrook, Kent, where a Thomas Murden is recorded as having been born in 1578. This suggests that the name had become well-established in the area by this time.

During the 17th century, the Murden name is found in the records of the University of Oxford, where a Thomas Murden matriculated at Christ Church in 1608. He later became a clergyman and served as the Rector of Stanmore Parva in Middlesex.

One of the more notable figures with the surname was Sir Robert Murden, a influential judge and legal scholar who lived from 1629 to 1708. He served as a Justice of the King's Bench and was renowned for his expertise in English common law.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Murden

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

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

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

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