Murphy
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Meaning
surname Ó Murchadha, "sea warrior"
The story
Murphy is the most common surname in all of Ireland, from the Gaelic Ó Murchadha, meaning descendant of Murchadh, a name that itself joins muir, the sea, with cath, battle, so it reads as sea warrior. It carries the whole warmth and grit of Ireland in three syllables. As a first name it has a bright, friendly, slightly mischievous air, helped along by film and television and by the affection people feel for the surname. It works easily for a girl or a boy. Brand new in that role, Murphy has climbed fast in the United States and reads as current as it has ever been, part of a love of Irish surnames worn up front. Cheerful, sturdy and unmistakably Celtic, Murphy hands a child a sea warrior's old courage wrapped in one of the friendliest sounds Ireland ever made.
How popular is Murphy around the world?
In the United States, 4,736 babies were named Murphy between 2020 and 2025. In New Zealand, 13 boys named Murphy were registered in 2025.
Murphy is on the official records of the United States, New Zealand, South Australia, England and Wales, Canada and Scotland.
United States
1 in 4,600
In the United States, 4,736 babies were named Murphy between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Murphy peaked in the 2020s. In US birth records Murphy has stayed between 354 and 4,736 births in every decade since the 1950s: a name everyone knows and few children get.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
New Zealand
1 in 2,500
In New Zealand, 13 boys named Murphy were registered in 2025.
In New Zealand, 10 girls named Murphy were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
South Australia
1 in 3,7002017
In South Australia, 3 boys were registered as Murphy in 2017.
In South Australia, 2 girls were registered as Murphy in 2017.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 5,000
In England and Wales, 65 boys named Murphy were born in 2025, the 593rd most common name among boys that year.
In England and Wales, 52 girls named Murphy were born in 2025, the 705th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Canada
1 in 6,600
In Canada, 34 girls named Murphy were born in 2024, the 835th most common name among girls that year.
In Canada, 21 boys named Murphy were born in 2024, ranked 1,144th among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Scotland
1 in 7,600
In Scotland, 6 boys named Murphy were registered in 2024, the 478th most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Murphy
Most people given the name Murphy in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Murphy · Gender-neutral names · Familiar but never popular
The Murphy deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Murphy truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Murphy fits with your family’s names and surname.
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