unisex name
Murphy
MUR-fee
- Origin Irish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 14,629
the United States
#397
2025 births
Murphy is a unisex name of Irish origin meaning "sea warrior". It anglicizes Ó Murchadha, built from muir, the sea, and cath, battle. It is the most common surname in Ireland, and its use as a first name is a recent American development.
- Murphy is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,124 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,950 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Murphy over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 30 |
| 1890s | 91 |
| 1900s | 157 |
| 1910s | 520 |
| 1920s | 737 |
| 1930s | 632 |
| 1940s | 575 |
| 1950s | 597 |
| 1960s | 393 |
| 1970s | 354 |
| 1980s | 368 |
| 1990s | 869 |
| 2000s | 947 |
| 2010s | 2,168 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,736 |
What Murphy means
Murphy means descendant of Murchadh, a personal name joining the Irish words for sea and battle. The sense is a warrior of the sea, which in early medieval Ireland described a real and constant occupation rather than a poetic flourish.
Where Murphy comes from
Murphy comes from Ó Murchadha and Mac Murchadha, descendant or son of Murchadh, an Old Irish personal name compounding muir, sea, with cath, battle. Sea-raiding and coastal defense shaped Irish politics for centuries, which is why the compound was common. Diarmait Mac Murchada, the twelfth-century king of Leinster who invited Norman help against his rivals, carried the name into one of the most consequential episodes in Irish history. Murphy is now the single most common surname in Ireland and among the most common in the Irish diaspora. First-name use is modern, American, and given to girls as often as to boys.
Murphy in use
Murphy charts in five of the seven countries we track and reached its highest recorded use in 2025.
How popular is Murphy?
In 2025, Murphy was given to 1,124 babies in the United States, ranking #397 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Murphy is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Murphy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Murphy also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Murphy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Murphy in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Murphey
Sibling names for Murphy
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Murphy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Murphy
What does the name Murphy mean?
Sea warrior, from the Irish Ó Murchadha — muir, the sea, and cath, battle.
Is Murphy a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. As a first name it is given to girls about as often as to boys.
Is Murphy a common Irish name?
It is the most common surname in Ireland.
How popular is the name Murphy?
In 2025, Murphy was given to 1,124 babies in the United States, ranking #397 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Murphy?
Murphy has 2 syllables.
When was Murphy most popular?
Murphy peaked in 2025, when 1,124 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Murphy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Murphy currently ranks #397 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.