Explore the Family Name Murdoch
The meaning of Murdoch
Scottish: from 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’. The personal name was introduced into Yorkshire and Normandy by Norsemen from Ireland as early as the 10th century. The surname in post-Conquest medieval England usually belongs to Norman families.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Murdoch in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Murdoch saw a slight dip between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 8,402 in terms of popularity amongst all surnames, but by 2010, it had dropped slightly to rank 8,669, a decrease of 3.18%. However, the actual count of people bearing the Murdoch surname increased from 3,615 in 2000 to 3,790 in 2010, a growth of 4.84%. Despite this increase, the proportion per 100k of the population decreased by 4.48%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,402 | #8,669 | -3.18% |
| Count | 3,615 | 3,790 | 4.84% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.34 | 1.28 | -4.48% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Murdoch
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Murdoch, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows varied changes between 2000 and 2010. The proportion of Murdoch’s who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander grew significantly by 75.00%, though it remained relatively small at 0.77% in 2010. There was also an increase in those identifying as two or more races (29.31%), Hispanic (31.40%) and Black (20.00%). The largest group, White, saw a slight drop from 94.44% in 2000 to 93.03% in 2010. Meanwhile, the proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Natives under the Murdoch surname decreased by 27.59%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.44% | 93.03% | -1.49% |
| Hispanic | 2.07% | 2.72% | 31.4% |
| Black | 1.3% | 1.56% | 20% |
| Two or More Races | 1.16% | 1.5% | 29.31% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.44% | 0.77% | 75% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.58% | 0.42% | -27.59% |
Murdoch ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Murdoch is British & Irish, which comprises 66.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (16.0%) and Eastern European (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 66.3% |
| French & German | 16.0% |
| Eastern European | 4.2% |
| Other | 13.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Murdoch
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Murdoch have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 91.70% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 91.00% |
What Murdoch haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Murdoch is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L2 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Morehead, Maynard, Searles, Pritchett, Rowlands, Music, Robert, Marty, Deal, Dumas.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Murdoch surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Murdoch have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Murdoch" Surname 51.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Murdoch" Surname 30.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Murdoch" Surname 55.9%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Murdoch" Surname 19.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Murdoch?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Murdoch are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition