Given name & surname
Murdoch
“from the sea”
Murdoch is a variant of Murdock. One Scottish interpretation is “from the sea.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Murdoch is a variant of Murdock. One Scottish interpretation is “from the sea.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Murdoch is a variant of Murdock. An origin associated with Murdock is Scottish.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1923. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Murdoch through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 57
- 57 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 10 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #13,291 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,291 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10 in 2019. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 143 as a first name in 2020; 3,927 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Murdoch’s family of names
Murdoch has a related form in Murdock. Murdoch has a related form in Murdo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Murdoch
- Murdoch Stewart, Duke of AlbanyDuke of Albany1362–1425
- Murdoch MitchisonBritish biologist (1922–2011)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Murdoch, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Leith
“from the broad river”
>99% boys
Usher
“from the mouth of the river” · “from. the mouth of the river”
>99% boys
Locke
“man of the forest” · “from the fortress”
>99% boys
Lealand
“from the meadow land”
>99% boys
Woods
“a woman of the forest” · “a man of the forest”
98% boys · 2% girls
Rowen
“of the red-berry tree”
77% boys · 23% girls
Arlo
“from the barberry tree”
96% boys · 4% girls
Murdaidh
“sea” · “battle”
>99% boys