Murdoch Surname

18,706th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 29,463 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Australia
Highest density in:
Scotland

Murdoch Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Murdoch,' Celtic (Yonge).

Murdac, dean of Appleby, 32 Henry II: Nicolson and Burn, History Westm. and Cumb.

Murdac de Gunton, Warwickshire and Leicestershire, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp.

Read More About This Surname

Murdoch Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy frequencyBy rank
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Australia6,0911:4,432639
United States5,5791:64,9687,595
Scotland5,3341:1,004153
England4,6281:12,0391,769
Canada3,1521:11,6901,745
New Zealand1,6901:2,679383
Israel7731:11,0711,696
South Africa4671:116,01213,849
Argentina3531:121,08610,244
Northern Ireland3411:5,4111,018
Wales1521:20,3592,157
Paraguay991:73,0981,875
Ireland831:56,7343,894
France831:800,27496,515
Uruguay461:74,6037,760
Thailand401:1,765,959222,048
Spain391:1,198,77041,125
United Arab Emirates361:254,50817,423
Netherlands361:469,08846,010
Singapore301:183,5907,666
Bermuda291:2,251365
Brazil291:7,381,874170,034
Switzerland271:304,18224,091
Germany261:3,096,364143,912
Zimbabwe241:643,26047,966
Peru231:1,381,91821,725
Mongolia191:148,6998,761
Qatar161:147,37516,023
Solomon Islands161:36,2527,281
Chile121:1,468,04024,959
Cuba111:1,047,5206,594
Malaysia111:2,681,293102,971
India101:76,706,538639,611
Jamaica101:286,9957,581
Philippines101:10,123,822213,993
Bahrain91:149,8455,469
Hong Kong91:815,0543,802
Antigua and Barbuda91:11,0191,084
Norway91:571,36544,190
China81:170,915,1968,932
Nauru61:1,980298
Vietnam51:18,529,2113,282
Sweden51:1,969,351134,077
Indonesia51:26,449,839597,308
Italy51:12,231,338126,430
Belarus41:2,375,265105,497
Slovakia41:1,334,11294,300
South Korea41:12,810,0642,073
Saudi Arabia41:7,713,95437,548
Finland41:1,374,17650,379
Dominican Republic41:2,608,23320,941
Malta41:107,5681,849
Guernsey41:16,1101,225
Isle of Man31:28,6073,614
Czechia21:5,316,734169,646
Belgium21:5,748,322130,559
Costa Rica21:2,390,03410,205
Denmark21:2,822,35876,882
Austria21:4,257,71899,224
Russia21:72,061,528727,117
Luxembourg21:290,2718,611
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Kiribati11:113,4071,341
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Afghanistan11:32,153,18360,828
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Marshall Islands11:51,8212,326
Iran11:76,782,524277,718
Ecuador11:15,905,84650,210
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
New Caledonia11:276,22310,363
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Turkmenistan11:5,489,11211,427
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
Trinidad and Tobago11:1,363,97522,013
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Serbia11:7,144,94838,459
Show All Nations
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland3211:13,8001,809
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland4,6841:799123
England4101:59,4526,973
Wales231:68,1923,286
Guernsey21:16,3281,834
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States4521:111,10311,052

Murdoch (894) may also be a first name.

Murdoch Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Murdoch,' Celtic (Yonge).

Murdac, dean of Appleby, 32 Henry II: Nicolson and Burn, History Westm. and Cumb.

Murdac de Gunton, Warwickshire and Leicestershire, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I.

1680. Job Nutt and Sarah Murdock: Marriage Alleg. (Canterbury).

— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Two Gaelic names, Muireach and Murchadh, of different origin, both coalesce and are hopelessly confused in this name. (1) Muireach in Middle Gaelic. Muiredhaigh (gen., M'Vurich), Murreich (Dean of Lismore), Muireadltaigh (1467 Ms.), Irish Muireadhach, EIr. Muiredach (for Muirfedach), Irish Latin Muirethac-us, and in Adamnan (V. C., I, 12) Muiredachus, 'belonging to the sea, a mariner.' From this comes Macvurivh (MacMhuirich), which see. (2) Murchadh, Elr. Murchad, from - mori-catus, 'sea warrior.' From this comes Murchie, Macmurchie, Murchison, and Murphy (formerly in Arran). Murdac and Murdoc are found in DB. as names of landowners in Yorkshire, Sussex and Oxfordshire. They were either Gaels or Norsemen of Irish descent. Murdac was dean of Appleby, Westmoreland, 1175. Walter Murdac, Morthaich, or Murdoch was a person of prominence in the reign of William the Lion and figures as witness in several charters and other Murthacs or Murdaks are mentioned about the same time and in the following century. Murdoch, second duke of Albany, executed in 1425, is referred to in English records (in Bain, IV) as: Mordac, Mordake, Mordik, Mordoc, Mordok, Mordyk, Moreduc, Mourdac, and Murthak. William Murdoch (1754—1839), inventor of gas-lighting, was proclaimed a deity by Nassred-din, Shah of Persia, who believed him to be a re-incarnation of Merodach or Marduk, 'god of light.' Murdock is a less common spelling of the name.

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Celtic) Sea-Happy [Gaelic and Irish Mu(i)readhach—mu(i)r sea+ adhach, happy, prosperous, lucky]

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

A Scottish name, numerous in Ulster, used occasionally as a synonym of Murtagh, q.v

— A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(1) “Dedicated to Mary” in Gaelic. (2) Also “Naval Leader” in Gaelic.

— South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(English, Irish) Descendant of Murdoch (seaman).

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Robert Fil' Murdac, and ' one Meurdoch ' occur in Domesday.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Or De St. Denis, a branch of the great Norman house of Meurdrac, barons of St. Denis and Meurdraquiere, Normandy. Finche, Robert, Stephen Murdac occur in Normandy, 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). The name is continually found in the English records from the beginning.

— The Norman People (1874)
DNA test information
Display Statistics on:

Murdoch Demographics

Average Male Murdoch Height

176.64 cm

Average male height (US):
175.3 cm
Sample size: 174 (2014)

Average Female Murdoch Height

164.33 cm

Average female height (US):
161.5 cm
Sample size: 18 (2014)

Sample is predominantly from Anglosphere countries

View the tallest/shortest surnames in the world

Murdoch Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Murdoch Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Murdoch is carried by more people in Australia than any other country or territory. It can also be found as a variant:. Click here to see other possible spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Murdoch? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 18,706th most frequently occurring family name globally It is held by approximately 1 in 247,346 people. Murdoch occurs mostly in Europe, where 37 percent of Murdoch live; 36 percent live in Northern Europe and 36 percent live in British Isles. Murdoch is also the 271,765th most frequently occurring first name throughout the world, borne by 894 people.

This surname is most widely held in Australia, where it is held by 6,091 people, or 1 in 4,432. In Australia it is most frequent in: Victoria, where 38 percent live, New South Wales, where 24 percent live and Queensland, where 17 percent live. Other than Australia this last name exists in 79 countries. It is also common in The United States, where 19 percent live and Scotland, where 18 percent live.

Murdoch Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Murdoch has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people who held the Murdoch last name grew 1,234 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 114 percent between 1881 and 2014; in England it grew 1,129 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 661 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it decreased 74 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Murdoch Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the Murdoch surname is principally Presbyterian (58%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Murdoch last name are 14.63% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 61.4% registered with the party.

The amount Murdoch earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 41.36% less than the national average, earning 202,933 kr per year; in Peru they earn 290.11% more than the national average, earning S/. 75,622 per year; in South Africa they earn 75.13% more than the national average, earning R 416,172 per year; in United States they earn 9.27% more than the national average, earning $47,151 USD per year and in Canada they earn 7.98% more than the national average, earning $53,650 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A
SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Mourdoch939/
Murdochh934/
Murrdoch931/
Murdochs931/
Murdouch930/
Murdoc9254/
Murdoh922/
Mourdoche881/
Murdach86135/
Mordoch86123/
Murduch8613/
Mirdoch863/
Murdech860/
Murdo83244/
Mordouch807/
Mordooch801/
Murdauch801/
Mordoh77235/
Murdah7779/
Murdha7767/
Murdox775/
Murdos773/
Murdac771/
Murdot771/
Murzdo771/
Mourdo771/
Murdod771/
Mordoc770/
Mordach71377/
Murdaah7130/
Morduch7126/
Murdoos7121/
Murdaha7114/
Murtdho714/
Murtdha713/
Murdash713/
Mourdou712/
Murdakh712/
Murrdox711/
Mirdach711/
Murdaci711/
Murdood711/
Murda67917/
Mordo67430/
Mourdakh671/
Murdà671/
Mourdace671/
Murddaha671/
Murdaudh671/
Mourdhuj671/
Show All Similar Surnames

Search for Another Surname

Murdoch Reference & Research

Murdock FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Murdoch
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis