Boy · #12,230 in 2026

Murdoch

Murdoch is a Scottish and Irish surname and given name. An Anglicized form of the Gaelic personal names Muireadhach ‘mariner’, Murchadh ‘sea-warrior’, and Muircheartach ‘sea-ruler’, the first element in each being muir ‘sea’. Notable people with the name include:

Current Rank
#12,230
Peak Rank
#7,642 (2019)
Total Babies
52
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1923
First Year
2023
Last Year
2019
Peak Year
#7642
Peak Rank
52
Total Count
8
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Murdoch

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Murdoch is a Scottish and Irish surname and given name. An Anglicized form of the Gaelic personal names Muireadhach ‘mariner’, Murchadh ‘sea-warrior’, and Muircheartach ‘sea-ruler’, the first element in each being muir ‘sea’. Notable people with the name include:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Murdoch

Murdoch first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1923, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2019, when 10 Murdochs were born — ranking #7,642 that year. As of 2026, Murdoch ranks #12,230 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 52 Murdochs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1920s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
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WI
MI
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ID
SD
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IL
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OH
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NJ
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Top 10
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No data

Names that sound like Murdoch

Phonetically similar names — useful when Murdoch is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Murdoch

What does the name Murdoch mean?
Murdoch is a Scottish and Irish surname and given name. An Anglicized form of the Gaelic personal names Muireadhach ‘mariner’, Murchadh ‘sea-warrior’, and Muircheartach ‘sea-ruler’, the first element in each being muir ‘sea’. Notable people with the name include:
How popular is Murdoch in 2026?
In 2026, Murdoch ranks #12,230 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Murdoch most popular?
Murdoch reached its peak popularity in 2019, ranking #7,642 that year with 10 babies given the name.
Is Murdoch a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Murdoch is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Murdoch?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Murdoch include Pratt, Kasmir, Star. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Murdoch

Murdoch is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1923 and has accumulated 52 births in the dataset. Murdoch's peak popularity came in 2019 when it ranked #7,642. Use the chart and map above to compare Murdoch's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.