How common is the last name Murphy?

298,047 people in the United States have the last name Murphy, about 1 in 1,003. It ranks #65 of 156,621 last names in the 2020 Census.

last name

MURPHY

#65

of 156,621 last names recorded in the 2020 Census

People
298,047
About
1 in 1,003
This common or more
13.8%
Who bears it

Of the 298,047 people with the last name Murphy, 80.5% reported their origin as White, 11.2% as Black and 3.6% as two or more races. These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.

Either side of Murphy

#63 Patel · 309,327#64 Morris · 307,446#66 Cook · 290,386#67 Rogers · 289,242

Spelled almost the same

2 last names in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of Murphy, most common first.

#8,452 Murphey · 3,750#16,955 Murph · 1,639

Also a first name

As a first name, Murphy ranks #3,451 of 53,615, with 6,019 people. As a baby name it peaked in 2025, with 1,124 births. See Murphy as a first name

Compare