2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Murfee
A variant spelling of the Scottish surname Murphy originating from Ireland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Murfee. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Murfee 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Murfee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Murfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Murfee
The surname Murfee has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in Scotland and England. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
One theory suggests that Murfee is a variation or anglicized form of the Scottish surname Murphy, which is derived from the Old Gaelic name "Murchadh" or "Murchadha." This name means "sea warrior" or "sea battler," suggesting that the earliest bearers of the name may have been associated with maritime activities or resided near coastal regions.
Another possibility is that Murfee is a locational surname, originating from a place name in England or Scotland. In some cases, surnames were derived from the names of towns, villages, or geographical features where the initial bearers resided or held land.
The earliest recorded instances of the Murfee surname can be found in historical documents and records from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, the marriage of John Murfee and Elizabeth Browne was recorded in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Putney, London, in 1593.
One notable bearer of the Murfee surname was William Murfee (1615-1668), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Borough of Shaftesbury in Dorset during the 17th century.
In Scotland, the Murfee surname has been associated with the region of Aberdeenshire. A notable figure was Alexander Murfee (1770-1840), a Scottish minister and author who served as the parish minister of Grange, Aberdeenshire, for over 40 years.
Another individual of note was John Murfee (1805-1885), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Brownswood Park.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Murfee surname can be found in the records of Virginia in the late 17th century. Thomas Murfee (1670-1738) was a prominent landowner and planter in Surry County, Virginia, and his descendants continued to reside in the region for generations.
While not an exhaustive list, these examples demonstrate the historical presence of the Murfee surname in various parts of the British Isles and its eventual migration to other parts of the world, particularly the American colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Murfee
Among Census respondents with the surname Murfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Murfee 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 Murfee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Murfee
Murfee 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,333 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,333 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,072 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 Murfee 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 | #143,149 | #147,221 | -2.8% |
| Count | 116 | 113 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Murfee bearers went from 116 to 113 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,221.
FAQ
Murfee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Murfee?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Murfee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Murfee?
Murfee ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Murfee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Murfee.
Has Murfee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Murfee went from 116 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Murfee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Murfee, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) 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 Murfee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Murfee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (5.3%), 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 Murfee (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 Murfee mean?
A variant spelling of the Scottish surname Murphy originating from Ireland. 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 Murfee (0.04 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 people share the surname Murfee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.