Murphy Family History

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Murphy Name Meaning

Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Murchadha ‘descendant of Murchadh’, a personal name composed of the elements muir ‘sea’ + cath ‘battle’, i.e. ‘sea-warrior’. This was an important family in Tyrone.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Mcmurphy, Murley, Murray, Murrin, Dunphy, Merry, Murty, Murthy

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Murphy Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Murphy name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Murphy. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    37%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    37%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

  • France

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Murphy Family Origin

Where is the Murphy family from?

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You can see how Murphy families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Murphy family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Murphy families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 3,705 Murphy families living in Ontario. This was about 48% of all the recorded Murphy's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Murphy families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Murphy surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Murphy

Murphy Family Occupations

What did your Murphy ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Murphy occupation in Canada was Farmer. 26% of Murphy's were Farmers. Farmer, Servant and Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Murphy. A less common occupation for the Murphy family was Laborer.

View Census data for Murphy | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    26%

  • Servant

    7%

  • Labourer

    6%

  • Laborer

    4%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Murphy ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Murphy Historical Records

What Murphy family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 2 million census records available for the last name Murphy. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Murphy census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Murphy

Passenger List

There are 443,000 immigration records available for the last name Murphy. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 404,000 military records available for the last name Murphy. For the veterans among your Murphy ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Murphy military records

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Murphy Life Expectancy

What is the average Murphy lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Murphy life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Murphy in 1940 was 57, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Murphy

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Murphy ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Murphy Family Ancestors

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