Surname Origin

The Murphy Surname


Meaning
descendant of Murchadh
Type
Patronymic
Root
Irish Ó Murchadha
Chiefly
Wexford, Cork and Armagh

The commonest surname in Ireland. Murchadh is read as ‘sea warrior’ — muir, sea, and cath, battle. The Ó means ‘grandson’ or ‘descendant of’ rather than ‘son of’.

Several unrelated septs carried the name, in Wexford, in Cork and in Ulster, which is part of why it is so numerous.

Bestow the name a title it never had

An honorific Lord or Lady certificate in the Murphy name, hand-finished and sealed, with a square metre of Scottish woodland dedicated alongside it. A novelty, magnificently done — and a good deal more fun than a family tree.

Choose a Package The Peerage Chart