surnames.ie

Irish surname · 18th most common in 1911

Murray

Murray has both Irish and Scottish roots. In Ireland it usually stands for Ó Muireadhaigh or Mac Muireadhaigh, from the personal name Muireadhach, or for Mac Giolla Mhuire of Co. Down. In Scotland it comes from the region of Moray, and many Murrays in Ulster are of Scottish descent.

Irish Ó Muireadhaigh · Ó MuiríIrish Mac MuireadhaighIrish Mac Giolla Mhuire
1901 census
17,713
#20 · 40 per 10,000
1911 census
18,087
#18 · 41 per 10,000
1926 census
13,660
#18 · 46 per 10,000
Most numerous
Dublin
Highest share: Westmeath

Language & meaning

Meaning & Irish forms

Gaelic Irish & Scottish (separate origins) Gaelic Irish (Ó Muireadhaigh, Mac Muireadhaigh, Mac Giolla Mhuire) and Scottish (from the district of Moray), sharing one English spelling.[1][2][3]

Ó Muireadhaigh
Modern spelling: Ó Muirí
“descendant of Muireadhach”[1][4][2]
The main Irish source of the name, borne by several unrelated families. Woulfe notes that it was commonly pronounced Ó Muirighthe, which gave Murrihy.
Mac Muireadhaigh
“son of Muireadhach”[5][2]
An old Breifne surname, usually anglicised MacMorrow but also MacMurray and Murray.
Mac Giolla Mhuire
“son of the servant of (the Virgin) Mary”[6][2]
A Co. Down family whose name was anglicised many ways, including Gilmore, MacIlmurray, Kilmurry and Murray.

The name is built on the personal name Muireadhach, usually explained as “seaman, mariner; also a lord”. Woulfe's gloss, connecting the name with the sea. This is the Irish personal name; the Scottish Murray comes instead from the place-name Moray.[1][5]

Pronunciation

Murray: MUR-ee

Place

Where the Murrays lived

How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.

Donegal: 29 per 10,000 (489 people) Waterford: 60 per 10,000 (494 people) Dublin: 54.5 per 10,000 (2,617 people) Kilkenny: 21.2 per 10,000 (159 people) Carlow: 32.5 per 10,000 (118 people) Limerick: 11 per 10,000 (157 people) Louth: 47.1 per 10,000 (297 people) Tipperary: 18.3 per 10,000 (280 people) Roscommon: 106.6 per 10,000 (1,002 people) Meath: 98.7 per 10,000 (644 people) Wicklow: 55.7 per 10,000 (339 people) Cavan: 56.5 per 10,000 (516 people) Cork: 36.4 per 10,000 (1,429 people) Clare: 19.6 per 10,000 (205 people) Galway: 50.8 per 10,000 (926 people) Mayo: 49.3 per 10,000 (948 people) Sligo: 43 per 10,000 (340 people) Leitrim: 42.5 per 10,000 (268 people) Offaly: 63.9 per 10,000 (364 people) Laois: 26.3 per 10,000 (144 people) Kildare: 39.3 per 10,000 (263 people) Kerry: 3.7 per 10,000 (59 people) Monaghan: 51.3 per 10,000 (367 people) Wexford: 17.8 per 10,000 (182 people) Longford: 40.6 per 10,000 (178 people) Westmeath: 114 per 10,000 (686 people) Tyrone: 15.9 per 10,000 (227 people) Antrim: 33.1 per 10,000 (1,581 people) Armagh: 41.7 per 10,000 (499 people) Fermanagh: 46.6 per 10,000 (283 people) Londonderry: 42.4 per 10,000 (593 people) Down: 46.8 per 10,000 (1,433 people)
fewerup to 121 per 10,000

Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.

Highest concentration · 1911

Westmeath

114 per 10,000

686 Murrays · 2.77× the national share

Highest share, 1911

  1. Westmeath 114
  2. Roscommon 107
  3. Meath 99
  4. Offaly 64
  5. Waterford 60
  6. Cavan 57
  7. Wicklow 56
  8. Dublin 55

Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.

County figures as a table
County190119111926Per 10k 1901Per 10k 1911Per 10k 1926
Antrim1,4881,581—3333—
Armagh453499—3642—
Carlow115118131313338
Cavan493516463515756
Clare229205229202024
Cork1,3831,4291,391353638
Donegal576489479332931
Down1,3191,433—4647—
Dublin2,4192,6172,968555559
Fermanagh279283—4347—
Galway916926947485156
Kerry705947443
Kildare280263298463952
Kilkenny148159144202120
Laois151144153262630
Leitrim280268219404339
Limerick13515715591111
Londonderry573593—4042—
Longford213178250464163
Louth322297283504745
Mayo940948872484951
Meath575644588829994
Monaghan481367451655169
Offaly354364365596470
Roscommon9221,00295692107114
Sligo287340283364340
Tipperary312280272201819
Tyrone227227—1516—
Waterford523494493606063
Westmeath748686679121114120
Wexford181182192171820
Wicklow321339352545662

Local strongholds in 1911

District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Murrays made up the largest share of the population. In Carrowreagh, Co. Roscommon, about one resident in 10 was a Murray.

DEDCountyMurraysShare
CarrowreaghRoscommon67 10.5%
DoonisWestmeath35 9.7%
BallygowanDown136 8.9%
SrahmoreMayo37 7.7%
AilleGalway44 7.4%
CreaghRoscommon52 7.4%
RodanstownMeath29 7.3%
CroaghmoyleMayo41 7.2%

Origins

Septs & territories

Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Murray lineages described in the sources.

A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.

Ó Muireadhaigh (O'Murry) families

Mayo, Roscommon, Westmeath, Cork

Woulfe describes several distinct Ó Muireadhaigh families in Mayo, Roscommon, Westmeath and Cork that once ruled large districts but had long been dispossessed and scattered. He adds that the name was borne by many notable churchmen.[1]

Mac Muireadhaigh of Breifne

Breifne

An old surname of Breifne that Woulfe found still common there. Most of the family came to use the English form MacMorrow, but some became MacMurray or Murray.[5]

Mac Giolla Mhuire of Uí Derca Céin

Uí Derca Céin, in the barony of Castlereagh · Down

Chiefs of Uí Derca Céin and a branch of the O'Mornas, lords of Lecale. Woulfe traces them to Giolla Mhuire Ó Morna, lord of Lecale, whose death the Annals of the Four Masters record in 1276.[6]

Murray of Moray (Scotland)

Moray, in north-east Scotland

Descendants of Freskin, a 12th-century lord probably of Flemish origin, who took the name de Moravia, 'of Moray', later Murray. Their chiefs became lords of Bothwell and, from 1703, Dukes of Atholl.[2][7]

The name over time

History

Irish name or Scottish name?

Murray is both. The spelling covers several Gaelic Irish surnames and a Scottish territorial name that simply look alike in English. In Ireland it most often renders Ó Muireadhaigh, in Breifne it can render Mac Muireadhaigh, and in Co. Down it may stand for Mac Giolla Mhuire. In Scotland it comes from Moray, the district on the Moray Firth. Wikipedia notes that many Murrays in Ulster are of Scottish origin, so the north of Ireland has the most mixed picture. For any one family, its county and religion in the old records are often the best clues.[1][5][6][2]

The Irish O'Murrys

Ó Muireadhaigh means 'descendant of Muireadhach', a personal name Woulfe linked with the sea and also with lordship. He describes several independent families of the name, in Mayo, Roscommon, Westmeath and Cork, which had been ruling families in early times but had long lost their lands by the modern period. He also notes that the name was carried by many distinguished clergy. In everyday speech it was often said as Ó Muirighthe, which explains the spellings Murrihy and O Murrihy found alongside Murry and Murray.[1][4]

MacMurray, Morrow and Gilmore

Two other Irish names fed into Murray. Mac Muireadhaigh, 'son of Muireadhach', was an old Breifne name; most of its bearers became MacMorrow, but MacMurray and Murray also appear. Mac Giolla Mhuire, 'son of the servant of Mary', belonged to a Co. Down family who were chiefs of Uí Derca Céin in the barony of Castlereagh and a branch of the O'Mornas of Lecale. Its anglicised forms run from Gilmore and Kilmurry to MacIlmurray and Murray. Woulfe adds that the same Gaelic name in Scotland was rendered Morrison.[5][6]

The Murrays of Scotland

The Scottish Murrays descend from Freskin, a 12th-century lord settled in the north-east, probably of Flemish origin, whose descendants took the name de Moravia, 'of Moray'. One line became Earls of Sutherland; another held Bothwell. Andrew Moray led the Scots alongside William Wallace at Stirling Bridge in 1297 and died of his wounds. Later the Murrays of Tullibardine led the name, gaining the earldom of Atholl in the 17th century and a dukedom in 1703. Lord George Murray, a son of the first duke, commanded Jacobite forces in 1745.[2][7]

Murrays in Ulster

Scottish settlement in Ulster brought many Murrays of Scottish descent to the north of Ireland, where they lived alongside Irish families of the same English name. Burke records one example of the overlap: in 1812 arms were exemplified to Alexander Murray of Castle Murray, Co. Donegal, when he took the surname Murray by royal licence under the will of James Murray of Broughton. In Ulster, then, a Murray may descend from a Gaelic Ó Muireadhaigh or Mac Giolla Mhuire, or from a Scottish settler.[2][8]

Places linked to the name

  • Barony of Castlereagh, Co. Down — Contains Uí Derca Céin, the territory of the Mac Giolla Mhuire chiefs.[6]
  • Lecale, Co. Down — Lordship of the O'Mornas, of whom the Mac Giolla Mhuire family were a branch.[6]
  • Castle Murray, Co. Donegal — Seat of Alexander Murray, to whom Burke records arms exemplified in 1812 when he took the name Murray.[8]
  • Moray — The Scottish district that gave the Scottish Murrays their name.[2][7]
  • Blair Castle — Present seat of the Duke of Atholl, chief of the Scottish Clan Murray.[7]

Everyday lives

The Murrays in the census

Who the Murrays were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.

Murrays All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Murray bar

Religion, 1911

Catholic +14.7 points vs Ireland
Murrays 88.3%
All of Ireland 73.6%
Church of Ireland −8.1 points vs Ireland
Murrays 5.1%
All of Ireland 13.2%
Presbyterian −5.0 points vs Ireland
Murrays 5.1%
All of Ireland 10.1%
Methodist & other −1.6 points vs Ireland
Murrays 1.5%
All of Ireland 3.1%

Irish language

Spoke Irish, 1901 −0.8 points vs Ireland
Murrays 14.5%
All of Ireland 15.3%
Spoke Irish, 1911 −0.9 points vs Ireland
Murrays 12.6%
All of Ireland 13.5%
Spoke Irish, 1926 · 26 counties −0.6 points vs Ireland
Murrays 12.9%
All of Ireland 13.5%

76 Murrays spoke Irish only in 1901.

Reading & writing

Could read and write, 1901 · aged 15+ −1.4 points vs Ireland
Murrays 79.0%
All of Ireland 80.4%
Could read and write, 1911 · aged 15+ −1.7 points vs Ireland
Murrays 84.1%
All of Ireland 85.8%

Family life, 1911

Household size · 3,840 households lower than Ireland
Murrays 4.61
All of Ireland 4.83
Children born per mother · women 45–59 higher than Ireland
Murrays 6.54
All of Ireland 6.46
Children still living −0.7 points vs Ireland
Murrays 79.1%
All of Ireland 79.8%

Commonest occupations

Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.

Farmer3,029
Farmer's son1,459
Farmer's daughter722
General labourer637
Agricultural labourer586
Labourer488
Farm servant427
House keeper411
Farm labourer351
Domestic servant304

Born outside Ireland

3.5% of Murrays in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.

England327
Scotland206
United States61
India18
Wales15
Canada4

Median age: 24 in 1901, 25 in 1911.

Given names

First names among the Murrays

Men and boys

  1. John3,576
  2. Patrick2,850
  3. James2,371
  4. Thomas1,997
  5. Michael1,694
  6. William1,139
  7. Joseph638
  8. Peter557
  9. Edward552
  10. Daniel398

Women and girls

  1. Mary3,888
  2. Bridget1,649
  3. Margaret1,355
  4. Ellen1,079
  5. Annie986
  6. Catherine931
  7. Kate791
  8. Elizabeth703
  9. Anne683
  10. Maggie489

All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, James, Thomas, Michael; Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Annie, Ellen.

Spellings

Spellings

This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.

Spelling190119111926Records
Murray17,71318,08713,660Search

Related forms

  • Murry — An older spelling used for both the Irish and the Scottish name.[1][5]
  • Murrihy, Murrihey — From Ó Muirighthe, the spoken form of Ó Muireadhaigh.[4]
  • MacMurray, MacMurry — From Mac Muireadhaigh, or in Down from Mac Giolla Mhuire.[5][6]
  • MacMorrow, Morrow — The usual English forms of Mac Muireadhaigh in Breifne.[5]
  • Gilmore, MacIlmurray, Kilmurry — From Mac Giolla Mhuire of Co. Down.[6]
  • Moray — The original Scottish place-name, from medieval Latin Moravia.[2][3]

Diaspora

The Murrays abroad

Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:

SpellingPeopleUS rank
Murray184,910136th

Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).

Heraldry

Is there a Murray coat of arms?

Arms belonged to particular families, so there is no single crest for everyone named Murray, and the Irish and Scottish Murrays are unrelated. Burke's General Armory records dozens of Scottish Murray coats, many built on silver or gold stars on blue, and gives the Castle Murray family of Donegal three silver stars on blue with the motto 'Imperio'. The Scottish clan chief's motto is 'Furth, fortune and fill the fetters'. We have not found arms recorded for the Gaelic Irish Ó Muireadhaigh families.[8][7]

Websites selling a single “Murray family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.

People

Notable people named Murray

  • Andrew Moray (died 1297)
    Scottish leader who fought beside William Wallace at Stirling Bridge and died of his wounds.
  • Lord George Murray (1694–1760)
    Scottish officer, son of the Duke of Atholl, and a senior Jacobite commander in 1745.
  • Daniel Murray (1768–1852)
    Catholic Archbishop of Dublin from 1832 until his death.
  • T. C. Murray (1873–1959)
    Macroom-born dramatist closely associated with the Abbey Theatre.
  • Philip Murray (1886–1952)
    Scottish-born American labour leader, first president of the United Steelworkers of America.
  • Pauli Murray (1910–1985)
    American civil rights activist, legal scholar and Episcopal priest.
  • Ruby Murray (1935–1996)
    Belfast singer who had ten UK hits in the 1950s, including 'Softly, Softly'.
  • Les Murray (1938–2019)
    Australian poet and critic who published nearly thirty volumes of poetry.
  • Bill Murray (born 1950)
    American actor and comedian known for his deadpan delivery.
  • Andy Murray (born 1987)
    Scottish tennis player, former world number one and three-time Grand Slam singles champion.

Questions

Questions about the Murray name

Is Murray Irish or Scottish?

Both. In Ireland Murray usually represents the Gaelic Ó Muireadhaigh, and sometimes Mac Muireadhaigh (Breifne) or Mac Giolla Mhuire (Co. Down). In Scotland it is a separate name taken from the district of Moray. Many Ulster Murrays have Scottish ancestry, while Murrays in the south and west are far more likely to be of Gaelic Irish origin. The families are not related.[1][6][2]

What is Murray in Irish?

The usual Irish form is Ó Muireadhaigh, in modern spelling Ó Muirí, meaning 'descendant of Muireadhach'. Depending on the family, Murray can also stand for Mac Muireadhaigh, 'son of Muireadhach', or Mac Giolla Mhuire, 'son of the servant of Mary'.[1][5][6][2]

What does the name Murray mean?

For the Irish families it goes back to Muireadhach, a personal name Woulfe glosses as 'seaman, mariner' and also 'lord'. For the Scottish families it comes from Moray, a place-name that Wiktionary traces to Celtic words meaning 'sea' and 'settlement'. So both origins happen to involve the sea, but they are unrelated.[1][3]

Are Murray, MacMurray and Morrow related?

Sometimes. Woulfe gives MacMurray, MacMorrow and Morrow, as well as Murray, as English forms of Mac Muireadhaigh, an old Breifne surname. In Co. Down, MacMurray and MacIlmurray could instead come from Mac Giolla Mhuire, which also produced Gilmore. A shared spelling does not prove a shared family.[5][6]

Is there a Murray family crest or clan motto?

There is no crest for everyone named Murray. The Scottish Clan Murray's chief, the Duke of Atholl, uses the motto 'Furth, fortune and fill the fetters', and Burke records many separate Scottish Murray arms, often with stars on blue. Those belong to Scottish families and do not apply to the Irish Ó Muireadhaigh or Mac Giolla Mhuire lines.[7][8]

Where in Ireland is the Murray surname most common?

In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Murrays lived in Dublin (2,617), Antrim (1,581), Down (1,433). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Westmeath (114 per 10,000), Roscommon (107 per 10,000), Meath (99 per 10,000).

How common was the Murray surname in Ireland?

18,087 people were recorded as Murray in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 18th most common surname. That is roughly 0.4% of the population, or 1 person in 243.

Looking for a Murray ancestor?

Search every Murray household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.

Search records on irishcensus.com

Evidence

Sources

  1. Patrick Woulfe, Ó Muireadhaigh, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  2. Wikipedia, Murray (surname) (2026)
  3. Wiktionary, Murray (2026)
  4. Patrick Woulfe, Ó Muirighthe, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  5. Patrick Woulfe, Mac Muireadhaigh, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  6. Patrick Woulfe, Mac Giolla Mhuire, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
  7. Wikipedia, Clan Murray (2026)
  8. Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'Murray', including 'Murray (Castle Murray, co. Donegal)'.
  9. Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
  10. Irish forms cross-checked against Gaois surname data (Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU).

How we compile these figures: methodology.