How common is the surname Murdock?

19,873 people in the United States had the surname Murdock in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 15,536 Americans. It ranked 1,804th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Murdock?

Ian Murdock, American computer scientist, open source developer, entrepreneur (1973-2015), followed by George Murdock.

Where is the surname Murdock most common?

Wikidata records people named Murdock in the United States.

Is the surname Murdock getting more or less common?

More common. 19,041 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 19,873 in 2010, up 4.4%.

The surname Murdock

A surname, carried by 19,873 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex M632

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Murdock is more common than 98.9% of them.

Origin

Scottish surname, Anglicized from the Scottish Gaelic name Muireadhach (“mariner”), Murchadh (“sea-warrior”), Muircheartach (“sea-ruler”), all having as the first element of muir (“sea”).

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 19,873 people named Murdock in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 15,536 Americans. That is up 4.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 19,041.

#1,804

rank among US surnames

19,873

people in 2010

6.7

per 100,000 Americans

+4.4%

change since 2000 (was #1,724)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,795	Melvin	20,008	15,431
#1,796	Cullen	20,000	15,437
#1,797	Hu	19,999	15,438
#1,798	McCollum	19,990	15,445
#1,799	Betts	19,983	15,450
#1,800	Coyle	19,931	15,491
#1,801	Trotter	19,927	15,494

Who is named Murdock

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

80% of people named Murdock identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 80%
Black (not Hispanic) 14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 1.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Murdocks

9 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ian Murdock
American computer scientist, open source developer, entrepreneur (1973-2015)
George Murdock
American anthropologist (1897–1985)
George Murdock
American film actor (1930-2012)
Margaret Murdock
American sports shooter, born 1942
David H. Murdock
American businessman (1923–2025)
Eric Murdock
American basketball player (born 1968)
Jack Murdock
American actor (1922-2001)
Ann Murdock
American actress (1890-1939)
Carole Baskin
American animal rights activist, born 1961

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Murdock

Murdoch

Murdock has the Soundex code M632, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M632.

Questions

Where does the surname Murdock come from?: Scottish surname, Anglicized from the Scottish Gaelic name Muireadhach (“mariner”), Murchadh (“sea-warrior”), Muircheartach (“sea-ruler”), all having as the first element of muir (“sea”).
How common is the surname Murdock?: 19,873 people in the United States had the surname Murdock in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 15,536 Americans. It ranked 1,804th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Murdock?: In the 2010 Census, 80% of people named Murdock identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Murdock?: Ian Murdock, American computer scientist, open source developer, entrepreneur (1973-2015), followed by George Murdock.
Where is the surname Murdock most common?: Wikidata records people named Murdock in the United States.
Is the surname Murdock getting more or less common?: More common. 19,041 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 19,873 in 2010, up 4.4%.