2000
#3,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,600
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.93
Uncommon Last name
Murrell
A toponymic surname derived from places in England or Ireland, likely referring to a bog or marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,466 Americans carry the last name Murrell. That puts it at #3,239 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,495 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Murrell 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 Murrell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,495
Census rank
#3,239
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,871 bearers of the surname Murrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3239th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Murrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Murrell
The surname Murrell is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "murier," meaning mulberry tree, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with mulberry trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Murrell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Richard Murel is mentioned. The variant spelling "Murel" was common in early records, and it wasn't until later that the spelling "Murrell" became more prevalent.
In the 13th century, the surname Murrell appeared in various historical documents, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which recorded a William Muryel. This spelling variation further reinforces the connection to the Old French word "murier."
During the 14th century, the Murrell surname emerged in several regions of England, including Yorkshire, where a John Muryell was documented in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of the country by that time.
One notable figure bearing the Murrell surname was Sir John Murrell, a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament who lived from 1535 to 1601. He served as Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1587 and represented Wiltshire in the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Murrell, an English clergyman and academic who lived from 1609 to 1670. He was a fellow of New College, Oxford, and served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1665 to 1666.
In the 18th century, the Murrell surname was associated with several notable individuals, including John Murrell (1718-1777), a British physician and writer who published works on medical topics, and Nathaniel Murrell (1738-1822), an English Baptist minister and author.
Moving into the 19th century, one prominent figure with the Murrell surname was William Murrell (1835-1917), a British physician and pioneering advocate for the use of hypnosis in medical treatment. He published several works on the subject and was a founding member of the Society for the Study of Hypnosis.
Throughout history, the Murrell surname has maintained a presence across various regions of England, with records indicating families bearing this name in counties such as Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Murrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Murrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Murrell 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 Murrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.9% · 5,640
- Black or African American38.6% · 4,191
- Two or more races5.1% · 550
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 390
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Murrell
Murrell 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
#3,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,347
+747 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#3,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,871
-476 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 3.64
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,125 | 10,600 | 3.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,185 | 11,347 | 3.85 | +747 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #3,239 | 10,871 | 3.64 | -476 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 54 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 Murrell 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 | #3,185 | #3,239 | -1.7% |
| Count | 11,347 | 10,871 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.85 | 3.64 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Murrell bearers went from 11,347 to 10,871 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,185 to #3,239.
FAQ
Murrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Murrell?
Name Census estimates that about 12,466 living Americans carry the surname Murrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,495 residents.
How common is Murrell?
Murrell ranks #3,239 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,871 people with the surname Murrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,466), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Murrell.
Has Murrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Murrell went from 11,347 recorded bearers to 10,871. That is a decrease of 476 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,185 to #3,239.
What does the Census say about the background of Murrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Murrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.9%. The next largest groups are Black (38.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Murrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (5,640 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Murrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.9%), Black (38.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Murrell (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 Murrell mean?
A toponymic surname derived from places in England or Ireland, likely referring to a bog or marsh. 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 Murrell (3.64 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 common is the surname Murrell?
See how many Americans have the surname Murrell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.