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

Murdy, 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 Murdy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Murdy in America

Murdy is the 49999th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Murdy surname appeared 419 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 Murdy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Murdy 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 Murdy

The surname Murdy is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic personal name Muireadach, which means "the sea-born" or "the sea-bright one." The name may also be related to the Irish surname Mordha, which has a similar meaning and origin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Murdy can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls documenting those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during his invasion of Scotland. The rolls mention a Thomas de Morthy, whose name suggests a connection to the Murdy surname.

In the 16th century, the Murdy name was particularly prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. The name appears in various records from this time, including the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, which mentions a John Murdy in 1545.

During the 17th century, the Murdy name spread to other parts of Scotland and became associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Sir Alexander Murdy (1616-1675), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as a member of the Scottish Parliament.

Another prominent bearer of the Murdy name was Reverend Robert Murdy (1735-1808), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several theological works and served as the minister of the parish of Monikie in Angus.

In the 19th century, the Murdy surname gained recognition through the achievements of James Murdy (1824-1895), a Scottish-born Australian businessman and politician who played a significant role in the development of the city of Melbourne.

Other notable individuals with the Murdy surname include William Murdy (1835-1914), an Irish-born American author and journalist who wrote extensively about Irish history and culture, and John Murdy (1892-1977), a Scottish-born Canadian engineer and entrepreneur who founded the Murdy Engineering Company in Vancouver.

Throughout its history, the Murdy surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Mordington in Berwickshire and Murdieston in Lanarkshire, which may have influenced the development and spelling of the name over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Murdy

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

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

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

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