# Murphy (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/murphy/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “descendant of murrough”, “son of murrough” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɜɹfi/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Murph |
| Variant spellings | Morphis |
| US babies named this | 13,174 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 8,486 / 4,688 (36% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 862, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Irish Ó Murchadha (“descendant of Murrough”), Mac Murchaidh (“Son of Murrough”), etc. See Muircath.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 26 | 5,316 |
| 2012 | 25 | 5,512 |
| 2013 | 31 | 4,611 |
| 2014 | 42 | 3,700 |
| 2015 | 88 | 2,161 |
| 2016 | 124 | 1,717 |
| 2017 | 148 | 1,503 |
| 2018 | 146 | 1,503 |
| 2019 | 177 | 1,301 |
| 2020 | 261 | 979 |
| 2021 | 398 | 719 |
| 2022 | 443 | 667 |
| 2023 | 588 | 517 |
| 2024 | 650 | 476 |
| 2025 | 783 | 397 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 102 | 1,558 |
| 2012 | 73 | 1,957 |
| 2013 | 103 | 1,544 |
| 2014 | 123 | 1,386 |
| 2015 | 149 | 1,230 |
| 2016 | 163 | 1,174 |
| 2017 | 165 | 1,151 |
| 2018 | 165 | 1,163 |
| 2019 | 185 | 1,083 |
| 2020 | 225 | 967 |
| 2021 | 214 | 1,028 |
| 2022 | 267 | 887 |
| 2023 | 258 | 904 |
| 2024 | 308 | 816 |
| 2025 | 341 | 754 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 6 | 3,615 |
| 2016 | 8 | 2,966 |
| 2017 | 15 | 1,911 |
| 2018 | 13 | 2,090 |
| 2019 | 8 | 2,869 |
| 2020 | 15 | 1,846 |
| 2021 | 16 | 1,785 |
| 2022 | 28 | 1,180 |
| 2023 | 35 | 981 |
| 2024 | 30 | 1,128 |
| 2025 | 52 | 705 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 18 | 1,342 |
| 2012 | 15 | 1,589 |
| 2013 | 10 | 2,055 |
| 2014 | 16 | 1,486 |
| 2015 | 22 | 1,186 |
| 2016 | 26 | 1,081 |
| 2017 | 31 | 968 |
| 2018 | 34 | 887 |
| 2019 | 20 | 1,253 |
| 2020 | 23 | 1,150 |
| 2021 | 47 | 729 |
| 2022 | 33 | 925 |
| 2023 | 53 | 665 |
| 2024 | 72 | 535 |
| 2025 | 65 | 593 |

## People named Murphy

- Murphy Pakiam, Catholic archbishop
- Murphy J. Foster, American politician and entrepreneur (1849-1921)
- Murphy Dunne, American actor and musician
- Murphy Lee, American rapper
- Murphy Anderson, Comic artist (1926–2015)
- Murphy Guyer, American actor and writer
- Chris Rabb, American politician
- Kerry Healey, American politician (born 1960)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.