Murphy

Murphy
Origin
Pronunciation	/ˈmɜːrfi/ ^{[needs Irish IPA]}
Language(s)	Irish
Meaning	Sea Warrior
Region of origin	Ireland
Other names
Variant form(s)	Murchadh, Murphey, MacMurphy, Morphy, O'Morchoe, O'Murphy, Ó Murchú, Murpy, Murphree

Murphy is an Irish surname.

Origins and variants

The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac Murchaidh"/"Mac Murchadh" (son of "Murchadh")^[1] derived from the Irish personal name "Murchadh", which meant sea-warrior or sea-battler^[2] (muir meaning sea and cath meaning battle).^[3]

Murchadh is reported to have been gripped with a boiling awful rage, an extreme elevation and greatness of spirit and intellect when he joined the middle of the action and prepared to assail the foreign invaders, the Danes, after they had repulsed the Dal-Cais. A gallantry and championship bird rose inside him and fluttered above his head and on his breath.^[4]

In modern Irish, "Ó Murchú" or Mac Murchú rather than Mac/Ó Murchadha", is used.

"Murphy" is the most common surname in Ireland, the fourteenth most common surname in Northern Ireland, and the fifty-eighth most common surname in the United States.^[5]

People with the surname

Men

Aaron Murphy (born 1988), English rugby league player
Andrae Murphy (born 1986), American football player and coach
Anthony Murphy (cricketer) (born 1962), English cricketer
Arthur Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Audie Murphy (1925–1971), American war hero and actor
Austin J. Murphy (1927–2024), American politician
Barnes Murphy (born 1947), Irish Gaelic footballer
Bos Murphy (1924–2000), New Zealand boxer
Brian Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Buddy Murphy, Australian professional wrestler
Byron Murphy (born 1998), American football player
Byron Murphy II (born 2002), American football player
Caleb Murphy (born 1999), American football player
Calvin Murphy (born 1948), American basketball player
Charles Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Chris Murphy (born 1973), American politician
Ciarán Murphy, Irish politician
Cillian Murphy (born 1976), Irish actor
Colin Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Colm Murphy (1952–2023), Irish alleged suspect in the Omagh bombing
Connor Murphy (born 1993), American ice hockey player
Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin politician in Northern Ireland
Dale Murphy (born 1956), American retired baseball player
Dale D. Murphy, professor at Georgetown University
Daniel Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Darren Murphy (born 1985), Irish footballer
Darren Murphy (Australian rules footballer) (born 1964)
Darren Murphy (1961–2012), bassist with the British punk rock/post-punk band Wasted Youth
Daryl Murphy, Irish football player
David Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Derek Murphy (born 1968), American rapper better known as Sadat X
Dick Murphy (born 1942), American retired Republican politician
Donald E. Murphy (born 1960), American Republican politician
Donnie Murphy (born 1983), American baseball player
Eddie Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Edward Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Elliott Murphy (born 1949), American singer/songwriter
Erik Murphy (born 1990), American–Finnish basketball player
Everett J. Murphy (1852–1922), politician
Francis Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Frank Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Fred Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Gary Murphy (1972), Irish professional golfer
Gary Murphy (1948), New Zealand cricketer
Geoff Murphy (1938–2018), New Zealand filmmaker
Geoffrey Mostyn Murphy (1922–2011), Australian boxer, better known as Tommy Burns
Glen Murphy (1957), British actor
George Murphy (1902–1992), American dancer, actor, and Republican Senator
Grayson Murphy (disambiguation)
Harold Lloyd Murphy (1927–2022), American judge
Henry Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Isaac Murphy (1802–1882), Republican Governor of Arkansas
Isaac Burns Murphy (1861–1896), American Hall-of-Fame jockey
Isaiah Murphy, a.k.a. Shinsaku Enomoto, (born 1998), Japanese basketball player
Jack Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Jacob Murphy (born 1995), English footballer
James Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people, people named James or Jimmy
Jim Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
John Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Joseph Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Josh Murphy (born 1995), English footballer
Kevin Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Kieran Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Lambert Murphy (1885–?), American operatic tenor
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. (born 1974), American singer, winner of season 6 of America's Got Talent
Larry Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Lawrence Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Lionel Murphy (1922–1986), Australian politician and jurist
Loren E. Murphy (1882–1963), American jurist
Marc Murphy (footballer) (born 1987), Australian rules footballer
Mark Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Martin Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Matt Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Maurice Murphy (actor) (1913–1978), American actor
Michael Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people, people named Michael, Mick or Mike
Mickey Murphy (born 1985), Gaelic footballer
Miles Murphy (born 1967), Australian sprinter
Myles Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Nicholas Murphy (born 1978), Gaelic footballer
Nicholas Daniel Murphy (1811–1890), Irish politician from Cork, Member of Parliament (MP) 1865–1880
Nick Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Oakes Murphy (1849–1908), two-time Governor of Arizona Territory
Pat Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Patricia Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Patrick Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Paul Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Peter Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Phil Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people, people named Phil, Philip or Phillip
Richard Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people, people named Richard, some nicknamed Dick
Robert Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people, people named Robert, Rob, Bob or Bobby
Roger P. Murphy, American legislator and jurist
Ryan Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Scott Murphy, American entrepreneur and politician
Scott Murphy (video game designer), a programmer behind the Space Quest series
Sean Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Sebastian Murphy (Captain, Founding Father of Utuado, Puerto Rico), b. circa 1696
Shaun Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Shawn Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Stephen Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Storm Murphy (born 1999), American basketball player
Sydney Murphy (born 1960), Vincentian retired cricketer
Timothy Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people, people named Timothy or Tim
Thomas Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people, people named Thomas or Tom
Trent Murphy (2013), outside linebacker in the National Football League; played for the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills
Troy Murphy, power forward for the Boston Celtics
Vincent B. Murphy, New York State Comptroller 1925–1926
Vincent J. Murphy, Mayor of Newark 1941–1949
Wendell H. Murphy, American politician
William Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people,
Yale Murphy (1869–1906), American baseball player
Yo Murphy (born 1971), American former football player

Women

Ashling Murphy, Irish teacher; suspected of being murdered
Alexis Murphy, American murder victim
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (born 1995), Irish rugby sevens and union player
Annie Murphy (born 1986), Canadian actress
Brittany Murphy (1977–2009), American actress
Dervla Murphy (1931–2022), travel writer
Carolyn Murphy (born 1975), American model
Claudia Quigley Murphy (1863–1941), American journalist, economic consultant, advisory counsel, author
Diana E. Murphy (1934–2018), American judge
Donna Murphy (born 1958), American Tony Award-winning actress
Erin Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Gail C. Murphy, Canadian computer scientist
Gillian Murphy, principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre
Jess Murphy, New Zealand-born chef based in Galway, Ireland
Julie Murphy (singer) (born 1961), Welsh singer
Julie Murphy (author), American novelist
Kelly Murphy (born 1977), American author and illustrator
Kelly Noonan Murphy (born 1974 or 1975), American politician
Margaret Mary Healy Murphy (1833–1907), American Catholic nun
Mary Murphy (disambiguation), multiple people
Maureen Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1999), American ice hockey player
Peta Murphy (1973–2023), Australian politician
Róisín Murphy (born 1973), Irish electronica singer, songwriter, and producer
Shaun Murphy (singer), a.k.a. Stoney, American singer
Stephanie Murphy, Vietnamese-American politician
Stephanie J. Murphy, American veterinary scientist
Tammy Murphy (born 1965), American banker
Yi Lu Murphey, American electrical engineer

Fictional characters

Meg Murphy, the main character in the movie, Jinxed (2013)
Murphy Cooper, in the film Interstellar
Captain Ed Murphy, a character in the 1987 American buddy cop action movie Lethal Weapon
Captain Murphy from the Adult Swim animated series Sealab 2021
Alex James Murphy, the police officer who became RoboCop
Alexis "Lex" Murphy, in the film Jurassic Park
Frank, Sue, Bill, Kevin, and Maureen Murphy from the Netflix original F Is for Family
"Bleeding Gums" Murphy, on the cartoon TV series The Simpsons
Bridey Murphy, historical character in a hypnotic regression case detailed in Bernstein's The Search for Bridey Murphy
Coach Murphy, a character in the 2009 American fantasy comedy movie 17 Again
Colin Murphy (Days of Our Lives), in the American soap opera Days of Our Lives
Connor Murphy, from the musical Dear Evan Hansen
Elise Murphy, from the 2024 movie Tarot
Eric Murphy, in the HBO series Entourage
Frank Murphy, in the movie Blue Thunder (1983)
Hank Murphy, in the TV series Sullivan & Son (2012)
John Murphy, in the TV series The 100
Karrin Murphy, in Jim Butcher's novel series The Dresden Files (named Connie Murphy in the TV series of the same title)
Ken Murphy, a character in the 2009 American romantic comedy-drama movie He's Just Not That Into You
Milo Murphy, in the American animated TV series Milo Murphy's Law
Professor Michael Murphy, the protagonist in the Babylon Rising series by Tim LaHaye
Randle Patrick McMurphy, one of the main characters in Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962)
Ray Murphy, birth name of Gino Esposito, in the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Sean Murphy (Oz), in the HBO TV drama series Oz
Sergeant Murphy, a fictional character in the Richard Scarry books
Susan Murphy, aka Ginormica, one of the main protagonists of the film Monsters vs. Aliens
Alvin Bernard Murphy, in the TV series Z Nation

References

^ Brewer, Paul (2002). Ireland: History, People, Culture. Running Press. p. 351. ISBN 0-7624-1269-0.
^ MacLysaght, Edward (1991). The Surnames of Ireland. Irish Academic Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-7165-2366-6.
^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 352, 406, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
^ Hennessey, W. M. (28 September 2020). The Ancient Irish Goddess of War. Library of Alexandria. p. 307. ISBN 978-1-6131-0276-3.
^ "Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000". Census.gov. Archived from the original on 21 December 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2012.

Laigin

Kindreds
and septs

Dál Niad Cuirp

Uí Máil	O'Tighe O'Kelly
Uí Dúnlainge	Fitzdermot O'Toole O'Byrne O'Cosgrave
Uí Cheinnselaig	MacMurrough Kavanagh Kinsella Kehoe O'Finneran O'Murphy O'Garvey O'Hartley O'Ryan Morrow
Uí Failghe	O'Connor Faly O'Dunne O'Dempsey Kavanagh Branagh MacGilpatrick (Fitzpatrick) O'Dwyer O'Holohan O'Hennessy
Uí Bairrche	MacGorman Kearney Tracy Hughes Mooney Carney
Uí Enechglaiss	O'Feary
Uí Crimthainn Áin	O'Duff

Dál Cairpre Arad

O'Kealy

Dál Messin Corb

O'Farrell

Personalities

Places

Battles

Surname list

This page lists people with the surname Murphy.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.