Murphy comes from the old Irish name, Murchadh (sea warrior), compounded from muir (sea) and cath (battle or war). The name was popular throughout Ireland from early times.
When the use of surnames became common in the 12th century, the son of a Murchadh would become known as MacMurchadha, while grandchildren and subsequent generations often took the name ua Murchadha.
The spelling of the name eventually evolved to the more phonetic Ó Murchú. The hard “ch” sound (pronounced as in loch) could be pronounced in some dialects as a “h” or an “f.” These regional variations gave rise to the modern McMorrough and Murphy from about the 17th century, when Ireland’s English rulers translated or anglicised personal names, surnames and geographical names as part of the general effort to suppress native language and culture. Other variations of the name through the centuries have included Morgho, Murghoo, Moroghe, and Morogho.
As English influence decreased in the late 19th century, many people restored the missing Ó or Mac to their previously abbreviated surnames (sometimes incorrectly), although generally the Anglicisation was retained. Hence some families chose to be known as O’Murphy or MacMurphy. Murphy remained the most common form of the name.
Surviving variations of the name include Morphy, McMurrough, O'Murphy, and MacMurphy.
The Murphys of Ireland
One Million Murphys?
There are about 55,000 Murphys in Ireland, making it easily the most common surname in the land. The US census of 1990 revealed 290,979 Murphys, making it the most numerous Irish name and the 59th most popular American surname. If one assumes the size of the Irish Diaspora to be about 70 million, there are probably about one million Murphys in the world today.