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

Murray, 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 Murray surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Murray in America

Murray is the 136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Murray surname appeared 184,910 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 63 people would have the surname Murray.

We can also compare 2010 data for Murray 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 Murray

The surname Murray is of Scottish origin, deriving from a territorial designation for someone who lived in or came from the region of Moray in northeastern Scotland. The name is believed to have originated from the Gaelic words "muir" meaning sea and "reidh" meaning flat or level, referring to the flat coastal lands near the Moray Firth.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Murray date back to the 12th century, with mentions in various Scottish charters and records. One notable reference is in the "Registrum Moraviense," a cartulary of the Bishopric of Moray, where the name appears as "Muref" and "Murrefe" in the early 13th century.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England after the Norman Conquest, the name appears as "Murifeld" and "Murigge," which are believed to be variations of the same name. This suggests that the Murray name may have been present in parts of England as well during that time.

The Murray name has a long and distinguished history in Scotland, with several notable individuals bearing the name throughout the centuries. One of the earliest was Sir Andrew Murray, a Scottish knight who played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, fighting alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.

Another prominent figure was Sir James Murray of Philiphaugh, a Scottish military commander who fought for the Covenanters during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the 17th century. He is best known for his victory over the Royalists at the Battle of Philiphaugh in 1645.

In the realm of literature, Sir David Murray of Gorthy (c. 1567-1629) was a Scottish poet and courtier who served as a diplomat and Lord of the Bedchamber to King James VI of Scotland and I of England.

In more recent times, John Murray III (1808-1892) was a renowned Scottish publisher who founded the publishing house John Murray, which published works by authors such as Jane Austen, Lord Byron, and Charles Darwin.

Lastly, one of the most famous Murrays of modern times is the Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery (1930-2020), best known for his portrayal of James Bond in the iconic film series.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Murray

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

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

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

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