Murphy Name Meaning

Helen Doanna

By Helen Doanna

Lastest Updated July 9, 2024
Home » Baby Names » Murphy Name Meaning

Fact: Murphy became a popular name pick for girls, thanks to the Murphy Brown TV show during the 80s and 90s.

Continue Reading…
A Deep Dive

Murphy Overview

Meaning

Sea warrior

Gender

Girl, Gender-neutral

Origin

Irish

Etymology

Derived from the Irish Gaelic surname “Ó Murchadha,” meaning “descendant of sea warrior”.

Pronunciation

/ˈmɜːrfi/

Popularity

Murphy is widely recognized in Ireland and among Irish descendants worldwide. In 2023, it ranked #519 for girls in the USA.

Syllable

2 syllables

Length

6 letters

Numerology

11 (Intuitive, Idealistic, Spiritual)

Name Styles

Cool, Edgy, Unique

Associated Traits

Strong, resilient, adventurous, loyal

Name Day

June 9th
A Deep Dive

Murphy Variations in Different Cultures

Popular Variations

Murphey, Murphie, Murfee, Murfey, Murph, Murry, Murfin, Murfree, Murphin, Murpheigh

Common Nicknames

Murph, Mur, Murry, Fee, Muffy, Mo, Ruffy, Mu, Muphy, Phee

Diminutives

Murph, Muffy, Fee, Mu, Mur, Ruffy, Murphie, Murfy, Murry, Phee

Famous People

  • Murphy J. Foster
    (American Politician)
  • Murphy Anderson
    (American Comic Book Artist)
  • Murphy Jensen
    (American Tennis Player)
  • Murphy Lee
    (American Rapper)
  • Murphy Dunne
    (American Actor)

Pop Culture Icons and Works

  • "Murphy Brown"
    (TV Series)
  • "Eddie Murphy Raw"
    (Film)
  • Alex Murphy
    ("RoboCop," Film)
  • Murphy MacManus
    ("The Boondock Saints," Film)
  • Murphy Pendleton
    ("Silent Hill: Downpour," Video Game)

Places

  • Murphy Town
    (North Carolina, USA)
  • Murphy City
    (Texas, USA)
  • Murphy Town
    (Idaho, USA)

What Is the Meaning of Murphy?

Murphy means “sea warrior,” signifying strength and resilience. Those with the name Murphy are often characterized by their courageous and adventurous spirit.

What Is the Origin of The Name Murphy?

Murphy originates from the Irish surname Ó Murchadha, which means “descendant of Murchadh.” Murchadh is derived from the Gaelic words “muir,” meaning “sea,” and “cath,” meaning “battle.”

Murphy Name Popularity

Popularity Chart of the Name Murphy in the U.S. over the Years

United States flagUnited States#7182021#6662022#5192023
Top 3 Rankings#5192023#6662022#7182021

Annual Statistics Breakdown for Murphy

YearName RankingNumber of BirthsBirth Rate (%)
2023519
(+147 from 2022)
582
(+139 from 2022)
0.03327
2022666
(+52 from 2021)
443
(+45 from 2021)
0.02471
2021718
(+258 from 2020)
398
(+137 from 2020)
0.02222
2020976
(+317 from 2019)
261
(+84 from 2019)
0.01477
20191293
(+203 from 2018)
177
(+31 from 2018)
0.00965
20181496
(-1 from 2017)
146
(-2 from 2017)
0.00785
20171495
(+217 from 2016)
148
(+24 from 2016)
0.00783
20161712
(+440 from 2015)
124
(+36 from 2015)
0.00641
20152152
(+1500 from 2014)
88
(+46 from 2014)
0.00451
20143652
(+889 from 2013)
42
(+11 from 2013)
0.00215
20134541
(+856 from 2012)
31
(+6 from 2012)
0.00161
20125397
(-193 from 2011)
25
(-1 from 2011)
0.00129
20115204
(-471 from 2010)
26
(-4 from 2010)
0.00134
20104733
(+976 from 2009)
30
(+6 from 2009)
0.00153
20095709
(-1262 from 2008)
24
(-10 from 2008)
0.00119
20084447
(+2105 from 2007)
34
(+14 from 2007)
0.00163
20076552
(-2388 from 2006)
20
(-15 from 2006)
0.00094
20064164
(+102 from 2005)
35
(+3 from 2005)
0.00167
20054266
(+550 from 2004)
32
(+5 from 2004)
0.00158
20044816
(-870 from 2003)
27
(-7 from 2003)
0.00134
20033946
(+819 from 2002)
34
(+9 from 2002)
0.00169
20024765
(+1055 from 2001)
25
(+6 from 2001)
0.00127
20015820
(-508 from 2000)
19
(-2 from 2000)
0.00096
20005312
(-1342 from 1999)
21
(-8 from 1999)
0.00105
19993970
(-240 from 1998)
29
(-2 from 1998)
0.00149
19983730
(+509 from 1997)
31
(+6 from 1997)
0.00160
19974239
(-516 from 1996)
25
(-4 from 1996)
0.00131
19963723
(-366 from 1995)
29
(-4 from 1995)
0.00151
19953357
(+347 from 1994)
33
(+4 from 1994)
0.00172
19943704
(+174 from 1993)
29
(+2 from 1993)
0.00149
19933878
(-1584 from 1992)
27
(-30 from 1992)
0.00137
19922294
(+409 from 1991)
57
(+13 from 1991)
0.00284
19912703
(+594 from 1990)
44
(+11 from 1990)
0.00216
19903297
(+180 from 1989)
33
(+4 from 1989)
0.00161
19893477
(+6347 from 1987)
29
(+23 from 1987)
0.00146
19880
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19879824
(-5133 from 1943)
6
(+1 from 1943)
0.00032
19860
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19850
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19840
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19830
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19820
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19810
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19800
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19790
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19780
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19770
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19760
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19750
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19740
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19730
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19720
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19710
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19700
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19690
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19680
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19670
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19660
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19650
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19640
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19630
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19620
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19610
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19600
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19590
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19580
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19570
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19560
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19550
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19540
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19530
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19520
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19510
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19500
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19490
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19480
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19470
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19460
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19450
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19440
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19434691
(-441 from 1939)
5
No change from 1939
0.00035
19420
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19410
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19400
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19394250
(-46 from 1935)
5
No change from 1935
0.00044
19380
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19370
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19360
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19354204
(+207 from 1932)
5
No change from 1932
0.00046
19340
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19330
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19324411
(-914 from 1931)
5
(-2 from 1931)
0.00045
19313497
(+550 from 1930)
7
(+1 from 1930)
0.00063
19304047
(-668 from 1922)
6
(-3 from 1922)
0.00051
19290
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19280
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19270
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19260
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19250
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19240
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19230
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19223379
(+438 from 1919)
9
(+2 from 1919)
0.00072
19210
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19200
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19193817
(+474 from 1918)
7
(+1 from 1918)
0.00060
19184291
(-208 from 1917)
6
No change from 1917
0.00050
19174083
(-288 from 1915)
6
No change from 1915
0.00053
19160
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19153795
(-1157 from 1914)
6
(-2 from 1914)
0.00059
19142638
(-846 from 1903)
8
(+3 from 1903)
0.00100
19130
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19120
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19110
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19100
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19090
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19080
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19070
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19060
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19050
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19040
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19031792
(-92 from 1898)
5
No change from 1898
0.00180
19020
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19010
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
19000
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18990
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18981700
First SSA data recorded
5
First SSA data recorded
0.00182
18970
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18960
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18950
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18940
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18930
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18920
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18910
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18900
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18890
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18880
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18870
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18860
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18850
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18840
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18830
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18820
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18810
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000
18800
No SSA data
0
No SSA data
0.0000

American States Popularity Rankings for Murphy

(From the Most to Least Popular, Based on Number of Births )

Texas (TX)

Texas (TX) flagTexas (TX)#10432021#9052022#6042023

California (CA)

California (CA) flagCalifornia (CA)#10912021#12082022#9842023

Ohio (OH)

Ohio (OH) flagOhio (OH)#4082021#6162022#5172023

North Carolina (NC)

North Carolina (NC) flagNorth Carolina (NC)#5192021#4602022#6672023

Illinois (IL)

Illinois (IL) flagIllinois (IL)#6182021#7342022#4962023

Georgia (GA)

Georgia (GA) flagGeorgia (GA)#5852021#6312022#4782023

Michigan (MI)

Michigan (MI) flagMichigan (MI)#7892021#6892022#3702023

Tennessee (TN)

Tennessee (TN) flagTennessee (TN)#6212021#6362022#3092023

Florida (FL)

Florida (FL) flagFlorida (FL)#12472021#9842022#12092023

Indiana (IN)

Indiana (IN) flagIndiana (IN)#6762021#4252022#3182023

Oklahoma (OK)

Oklahoma (OK) flagOklahoma (OK)#4612021#2952022#2902023

Missouri (MO)

Missouri (MO) flagMissouri (MO)#8082021#6382022#2632023

Minnesota (MN)

Minnesota (MN) flagMinnesota (MN)#4702021#4022022#3432023

Washington (WA)

Washington (WA) flagWashington (WA)#5442021#5752022#4962023

Iowa (IA)

Iowa (IA) flagIowa (IA)#3772021#2992022#2672023

Virginia (VA)

Virginia (VA) flagVirginia (VA)#9302021#5262022#7612023

New York (NY)

New York (NY) flagNew York (NY)#13892021#12042022#11182023

Alabama (AL)

Alabama (AL) flagAlabama (AL)#6382021#5802022#2222023

Utah (UT)

Utah (UT) flagUtah (UT)#6442020#2622022#2182023

Colorado (CO)

Colorado (CO) flagColorado (CO)#4152021#5542022#4682023

Kentucky (KY)

Kentucky (KY) flagKentucky (KY)#5522021#3362022#3462023

Wisconsin (WI)

Wisconsin (WI) flagWisconsin (WI)#4602021#3962022#3812023

Pennsylvania (PA)

Pennsylvania (PA) flagPennsylvania (PA)#10922021#10082022#9312023

Kansas (KS)

Kansas (KS) flagKansas (KS)#3722021#3762022#2812023

Oregon (OR)

Oregon (OR) flagOregon (OR)#3742021#6152022#5002023

Louisiana (LA)

Louisiana (LA) flagLouisiana (LA)#7022020#5142021#4972023

Nebraska (NE)

Nebraska (NE) flagNebraska (NE)#4832021#2932022#2702023

New Jersey (NJ)

New Jersey (NJ) flagNew Jersey (NJ)#13282021#13562022#7212023

Idaho (ID)

Idaho (ID) flagIdaho (ID)#1852022#2402023

Massachusetts (MA)

Massachusetts (MA) flagMassachusetts (MA)#7002020#4912023

South Carolina (SC)

South Carolina (SC) flagSouth Carolina (SC)#8592018#7412019#6802023

Maryland (MD)

Maryland (MD) flagMaryland (MD)#5182021#8462023

Montana (MT)

Montana (MT) flagMontana (MT)#1802022#892023

Arizona (AZ)

Arizona (AZ) flagArizona (AZ)#7982021#11832022

Arkansas (AR)

Arkansas (AR) flagArkansas (AR)#2512023

North Dakota (ND)

North Dakota (ND) flagNorth Dakota (ND)#1972021

Mississippi (MS)

Mississippi (MS) flagMississippi (MS)#6312023

Popularity Rankings for Murphy in other Countries and American Territories

(From the Most to Least Popular, Based on Rankings)

Popularity in Canada

Canada flagCanada#14922016#16312019#12462022

Source: Social Security Administration (SSA) and Other National Sources

Is Murphy a Name for Boys or Girls?

Murphy has seen increasing use for both genders, though it’s slowly becoming popular for girls.

Variants, Nicknames, Diminutives, and Ideal Middle Names for Murphy

Murphy in Famous People Names, Pop Culture, and Places

  • Murphy J. Foster (Politician, 1849–1921): Served as the Governor of Louisiana and later as a U.S. Senator.
  • Murphy Anderson (Comic Book Artist, 1926–2015): An influential comic book artist best known for his work with DC Comics.
  • Murphy Jensen (Tennis Player, 1968): An American former professional tennis player who won the French Open doubles title.
  • Murphy Lee (Rapper, 1978): An American rapper and member of the hip hop group St. Lunatics.
  • Murphy Dunne (Actor, 1942): An American actor and musician, recognized for his role in "The Blues Brothers."
  • "Murphy Brown" (1988 TV Series): A fictional television journalist and anchorwoman known for her strong personality and wit.
  • Alex Murphy ("RoboCop," 1987 Film): A Detroit police officer who is transformed into the cyborg law enforcer, RoboCop.
  • "Eddie Murphy Raw" (1987 Film): A stand-up comedy film featuring Eddie Murphy's live performance at the Felt Forum.
  • Murphy MacManus ("The Boondock Saints," 1999 Film): One of the two Irish-American twin brothers who become vigilantes in Boston.
  • Murphy Pendleton ("Silent Hill: Downpour," 2012 Video Game): A convict who becomes the protagonist of this horror survival game.
  • Murphy Town (North Carolina, USA): A charming town in the Appalachian Mountains, known for its scenic beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities.
  • Murphy City (Texas, USA): A growing suburban city near Dallas, noted for its family-friendly atmosphere and community events.
  • Murphy Town (Idaho, USA): A historic town in southwestern Idaho, serving as the county seat of Owyhee County and known for its rich mining history.

Similar Names to Murphy

Sibling Names for Murphy

Parents Who Like the Name Murphy Also Like

Make sure to share the name Murphy to parents who are awaiting a baby girl in their lives. Also, you can tell me your thoughts in the comment section.
Helen Doanna

Helen Doanna

Editor in Chief, Educational Specialist, and Senior Content Creator

Expertise

Child Development Specialist, Child-care Coordinator, Family Support Specialist, Content Writer, Communications Specialist, Educational Consultant, STEAM Teacher

Education

1. University of Social Science and Humanity, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

  • Program: Bachelor’s degree in Faculty of Literature and Journalism
  • Focus: In-depth knowledge of Literature, knowledge and skills to perceive, create literature or work in related fields; Basic knowledge of communications.

2. University of Social Science and Humanity, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

  • Program: Bachelor’s degree in Education Faculty
  • Focus: Core knowledge of social sciences and humanities – the root for the development of progressive values of education, Multicultural communication in education, Contemporary education in the context of globalization, Learning in the digital technology era, Basic issues of STEAM education, Classroom Management, Special education.

3. Oregon State University, Oregan, US

  • Program: Bachelor’s degree in Faculty of Human Development and Family Sciences – Child Development
  • Focus: Different stages of development, from infancy to adulthood; Develop a strong foundation for a career in early childhood programs or classrooms; Learn strategies for supporting young children’s development in early childhood settings.
Facebook
Instagram
Linkedin

Helen is an experienced educational specialist and content creator, known for her innovative approach to children’s learning. With a background in literature and child development, she composes engaging educational content for SimpleKids.net. Her work emphasizes creativity, engagement, and simplicity, aiming to make learning enjoyable and accessible for children and their families.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *