Surname MacMurdy - Meaning and Origin
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MacMurdy: What does the surname MacMurdy mean?
The MacMurdy surname is of Scottish origin. The name is a habitational name, derived from any of the many places in Scotland called MacMurdo or McMurdo, which were most likely named after a man named Murdoch. The given name Murdoch is a Scottish and Irish name, derived from the Gaelic words “muir”, meaning “sea”, and “dubh”, meaning “dark” or “black”. Thus, the name Murdoch is thought to mean “dark-haired one of the sea”.
The MacMurdy surname itself is thought to be a combination of the given name Murdoch and the Gaelic word “mac”, meaning “son of”. The surname supplanted the name Murdoch as a byname after Murdoch’s son began to use it to mark the passing of generations. Records suggest that there was a MacMurdy clan in Argyll, Scotland in the 13th century, and it is likely that the name is descended from them.
Today, the surname MacMurdy is common in Scotland and throughout the UK and the Commonwealth. It is also found in numerous other countries around the world, including the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. To the Clan MacMurdy, faith, kinship, honor, and courage are all aspects of their heritage that they hold dear.
Order DNA origin analysisMacMurdy: Where does the name MacMurdy come from?
The MacMurdy surname is often associated with Scotland and Ireland, and is known for being an ancient clan in Scotland. While not as common as it once was, the MacMurdy surname can still be found in these two countries.
In Scotland, the MacMurdy surname is mostly found in the northeastern coastal region. In particular, in the counties of Angus, Argyll, Banff, Moray, and Aberdeenshire. In some cases, the name has been shortened to "Murdy".
In Ireland, the surname is mostly found in County Ulster and parts of Northern Ireland. It is thought that many MacMurdys also emigrated to places such as the United States, Canada, and Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Today, the MacMurdy name is still found in Scotland, Ireland, and other countries that make up the diaspora. It is not as widely used as it used to be, however, it is still a recognizable and very old family name.
Variations of the surname MacMurdy
MacMurdy is a Scottish clan from the region of Ayrshire, where it can be traced back to the early 14th century. The variants and spellings of this surname are plentiful and include MacMurdo, MacMurtie, MacMurtry, MacMoredy, MacMurday, and MacMordy.
The principal branches of the MacMurdy family came to be known as the MacMurdo of Neillstoun, the MacMurtie of Stanehyn, and the MacMurtry of Barmagachan. As with many other Scottish surnames, those branches developed many different spellings, as families often adopted new ways of writing the surname according to their own local dialects.
The spellings of MacMurdy found in records from various areas may also be influenced by the names of places where families settled or were recorded. As a result, the variants and spellings of the same origin that may be encountered in family trees include McMordie, MacMardie, MacMordie, MacMoudry, MacMondry, MacMundy, and MacMurdyre, as well as Mardie, Mordy and Murdy.
The MacMurdy clan also has branches in England, such as the Murday family of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, and the MacMurdie, MacMurday, or MacMordy family of Gloucestershire. In Ireland, the surname may have been Anglicized to MacMurty, MacMurtagh, or MacMurthery.
Among the many variant spellings of the MacMurdy surname, some of the more commonly encountered ones are McMurdy, MacMurdo, MacMurdie, and MacMurtry. Despite the numerous variants, all of them can be traced back to the same Scottish clan.
Famous people with the name MacMurdy
- Linda MacMurdy: an American actress, best known for her work in films like Tenace and My Life in Orange.
- MacMurdy of Balmerino: a Scottish nobleman of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and a participant in the Jacobite Rising of 1715.
- Kenneth MacMurdy: a Canadian politician and lawyer, who represented the riding of Ottawa—Rideau in the Canadian House of Commons from 1945 to 1949.
- Donald MacMurdy: an American newspaper and magazine publisher and editor, most notably for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Post.
- Robert MacMurdy: a 20th-century American graphic artist and illustrator, whose work appeared in magazines such as Esquire, Harper's Bazaar and Collier's.
- Alan MacMurdy: an American philosopher and professor, who wrote extensively, most notably on life and spiritualism.
- Lawrence MacMurdy: an American comic book writer and artist, who mainly wrote for Marvel Comics, including The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four and The Avengers.
- Jim MacMurdy: an American soccer player, who was part of the U.S. Men's National Team at the 1954 FIFA World Cup.
- Angus MacMurdy: a Scottish poet, best known for his work on the old Scots ballads.
- Douglas MacMurdy: an Australian author and poet, most notably for his children's books, such as "The Little Green Frog".