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Murphy

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Murphy
Murphy (Ó Murchadh).png
Language(s)Irish
Origin
MeaningSea Warrior
Region of originIreland
Other names
Variant form(s)Murchadh, Murphey, MacMurphy, MacMurrough, Morphy, O'Morchoe, O'Murphy, Ó Murchú, Murray, Morrow, MacMorrow, Murfoir, Murpy

Murphy (/ˈmɜːrfi/) 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]

It is said of Murrough (Murchadh) as he entered the thick of the fight and prepared to assail the foreign invaders, the Danes, when they had repulsed the Dal-Cais, that 'he was seized with a boiling terrible anger, an excessive elevation and greatness of spirit and mind. A bird of valour and championship rose in him, and fluttered over his head and on his breath.[4]

In modern Irish, "Ó Murchú", rather than "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 James Murphy (born 1992), New Zealand actor
  • Anthony Murphy (cricketer) (born 1962), English cricketer
  • Arthur Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Audie Murphy (1925–1971), American war hero and actor
  • Austin J. Murphy (born 1927), Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania
  • Barnes Murphy (born 1947), former Gaelic footballer
  • Bos Murphy (1924–2000), New Zealand boxer
  • Brian Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Buddy Murphy, Australian professional wrestler
  • Byron Murphy (born 1998), American football player
  • Calvin Murphy (born 1948), American retired basketball player
  • Charles Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Chris Murphy (Connecticut politician) (born 1973), United States Senator from Connecticut
  • Ciarán Murphy, Irish T.D.
  • Cillian Murphy (born 1976), Irish actor
  • Colin Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Colm Murphy (born 1952), Irish alleged suspect in the Omagh bombing
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • Edward Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Elliott Murphy (born 1949), American singer/songwriter
  • Erik Murphy (born 1990), American–Finnish basketball player
  • Everett J. Murphy (1852–1922), politician
  • Francis Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Frank Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Fred Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Gary Murphy (1971) Irish mathematician and inventor of the Dyson shirt dryer
  • 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
  • Henry Murphy (disambiguation)
  • 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)
  • Jacob Murphy (born 1995), English footballer
  • James Murphy (disambiguation), people named James or Jimmy
  • Jim Murphy (disambiguation)
  • John Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Joseph Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Josh Murphy (born 1995), English footballer
  • Kevin Murphy (disambiguation)
  • 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)
  • Lawrence Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Lionel Murphy (born 1922), Australian politician and jurist
  • Loren E. Murphy (1882–1963), American jurist
  • Marc Murphy (born 1987), Australian rules footballer
  • Mark Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Martin Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Matt Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Maurice Murphy (actor) (1913-1978), American actor
  • Michael Murphy (disambiguation), people named Michael, Mick or Mike
  • Mickey Murphy (born 1985), Gaelic footballer
  • Nicholas Murphy (born 1978), Gaelic footballer
  • Nicholas Daniel Murphy (1811–1890), Irish politician from Cork, Member of Parliament (MP) 1865–1880
  • Nick Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Oakes Murphy (1849–1908), two-time Governor of Arizona Territory
  • Pat Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Patricia Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Patrick Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Paul Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Peter Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Phil Murphy (disambiguation), people named Phil, Philip or Phillip
  • Richard Murphy (disambiguation), people named Richard, some nicknamed Dick
  • Robert Murphy (disambiguation), people named Robert, Rob, Bob or Bobby
  • Roger P. Murphy, American legislator and jurist
  • Ryan Murphy (footballer) (born 1985)
  • Ryan Murphy (writer), American television writer, director and producer
  • Scott Murphy, American entrepreneur and politician
  • Scott Murphy (video game designer), a programmer behind the Space Quest series
  • Sean Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Shaun Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Shawn Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Stephen Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Sydney Murphy (born 1960), Vincentian retired cricketer
  • Timothy Murphy (disambiguation), people named Timothy or Tim
  • Thomas Murphy (disambiguation), 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, NYS Comptroller 1925–1926
  • Vincent J. Murphy, Mayor of Newark 1941–1949
  • Wendell H. Murphy, American politician
  • William Murphy (disambiguation),
  • Yale Murphy (1869–1906), American baseball player
  • Yo Murphy (born 1971), American former football player

Women

  • Brittany Murphy (1977–2009), American actress
  • Dervla Murphy (born 1931), travel writer
  • Carolyn Murphy (born 1975), American model
  • Diana E. Murphy (1934-2018), American judge
  • Donna Murphy (born 1958), American Tony Award-winning actress
  • Erin Murphy (disambiguation)
  • 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
  • Margaret Mary Healy Murphy (1833–1907), American Catholic nun
  • Mary Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Róisín Murphy (born 1973), Irish electronica singer, songwriter, and producer
  • Shaun Murphy (singer), a.k.a. Stoney, American singer
  • Stephanie J. Murphy, American veterinary scientist
  • Tammy Murphy (born 1965), American banker

Fictional characters

  • Murphy Cooper, in Interstellar (film)
  • 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
  • Colin Murphy (fiction), in the American soap opera Days of Our Lives
  • Connor Murphy, from the musical Dear Evan Hansen
  • 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)
  • Milo Murphy, in the American animated TV series Milo Murphy's Law
  • Professor Michael Murphy, the protagonist in the Babylon Rising series by Dr 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
  • Susan Murphy, aka Ginormica, one of the main protagonists of the film Monsters vs. Aliens
  • Sergeant Murphy, a fictional character in the Richard Scarry books

See also

  • Justice Murphy (disambiguation)
  • Murph (disambiguation)

References

  1. ^ Brewer, Paul (2002). Ireland: History, People, Culture. Running Press. p. 351. ISBN 0-7624-1269-0.
  2. ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1991). The Surnames of Ireland. Irish Academic Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-7165-2366-6.
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ Hennessey, W M. The Ancient Irish Goddess of War. Library of Alexandria. p. 307. ISBN 978-1-6131-0276-3.
  5. ^ "Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000". Census.gov. Archived from the original on 21 December 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2012.

External links

  • Official Home of the Murphy Clan, including a wealth of historical content about Ireland's Murphy Clan such as clan history, famous people, homelands, genealogy, discussion forums and blog articles.
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