NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcmurchie

A Scottish surname possibly derived from "Murchadh", a Scottish Gaelic personal name meaning "sea warrior".

In the 1881 census there were 71 people recorded with the Mcmurchie surname, ranking it #23,517 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 222, ranked #18,277, up from #23,517 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to South Knapdale, North Bute and Rothesay and Rutherglen. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include The Glens, Rothesay Town and Berwickshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcmurchie is 231 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 212.7%.

1881 census count

71

Ranked #23,517

Modern count

222

2016, ranked #18,277

Peak year

2014

231 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcmurchie had 71 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,517 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 222 in 2016, ranked #18,277.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 112 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcmurchie surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mcmurchie surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mcmurchie surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcmurchie over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 28 #28,274
1861 historical 37 #29,339
1881 historical 71 #23,517
1891 historical 99 #24,200
1901 historical 112 #21,382
1911 historical 10 #32,609
1997 modern 184 #18,580
1998 modern 184 #19,037
1999 modern 188 #18,931
2000 modern 192 #18,683
2001 modern 186 #18,773
2002 modern 183 #19,354
2003 modern 185 #18,999
2004 modern 185 #19,114
2005 modern 188 #18,866
2006 modern 182 #19,402
2007 modern 192 #18,975
2008 modern 198 #18,753
2009 modern 203 #18,840
2010 modern 207 #19,007
2011 modern 202 #19,154
2012 modern 216 #18,251
2013 modern 225 #18,027
2014 modern 231 #17,813
2015 modern 225 #18,050
2016 modern 222 #18,277

Geography

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Where Mcmurchies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around South Knapdale, North Bute and Rothesay, Rutherglen, Govan Combination and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to The Glens, Rothesay Town, Berwickshire East, Whitfield and Ardler and St Marys. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 South Knapdale Argyll
2 North Bute and Rothesay Bute
3 Rutherglen Lanark
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 The Glens Dundee City
2 Rothesay Town Argyll and Bute
3 Berwickshire East Scottish Borders
4 Whitfield Dundee City
5 Ardler and St Marys Dundee City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcmurchie

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mcmurchie surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcmurchie

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mcmurchie, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Mcmurchie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mcmurchie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Mcmurchie is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcmurchie is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mcmurchie falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mcmurchie is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mcmurchie, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mcmurchie

The surname McMurchie has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, specifically in the region of Argyll. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic "Mac Mhuirich," which translates to "son of Muirich." Muirich itself is a personal name derived from the Old Irish word "muirech," meaning "mariner" or "sailor."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McMurchie can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 14th century. These rolls document a payment made to a "Gillemure Macmurchy" in the year 1388. The spelling "Macmurchy" is believed to be an early variation of the modern McMurchie surname.

In the 16th century, the McMurchie name appears in the records of the Clan Campbell, one of the most powerful clans in the Scottish Highlands. The McMurchies were closely associated with the Campbells and served as their hereditary bards and poets, preserving and reciting the clan's history and traditions.

One notable McMurchie from this era was Muireach Albannach (c. 1570-1650), a renowned Gaelic poet and member of the Clan Campbell's bardic family. His works, which celebrated the deeds of the Campbell chiefs and lamented the loss of Gaelic culture, have been preserved in various manuscript collections.

In the 17th century, the McMurchie surname can be found in the parish records of Inveraray, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Argyll. A prominent figure from this period was John McMurchie (c. 1630-1705), a Presbyterian minister who served as the chaplain to the Earl of Argyll and played a significant role in the religious affairs of the region.

As the centuries progressed, members of the McMurchie family continued to be associated with the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. One notable figure was Alexander McMurchie (1789-1867), a Scottish poet and author who wrote extensively about the history and folklore of the Isle of Arran.

Another influential McMurchie was Sir Thomas McMurchie (1838-1919), a Scottish businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Greenock from 1895 to 1906. He was also a prominent figure in the shipbuilding industry, reflecting the maritime roots of the McMurchie name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcmurchie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcmurchie surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 1 Mcmurchies recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.37x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1 4.37x
Middlesex 1 5.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chiswick in Middlesex leads with 1 Mcmurchies recorded in 1881 and an index of 909.09x.

Place Total Index
Chiswick 1 909.09x
West Derby 1 149.25x

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mcmurchie surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Keir 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mcmurchie households.

Occupation Count
Baker (ND) 1
Coachman 1

FAQ

Mcmurchie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcmurchie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 71 people were recorded with the Mcmurchie surname. That placed it at #23,517 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcmurchie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 222 in 2016. That gives Mcmurchie a modern rank of #18,277.

What does the Mcmurchie surname mean?

A Scottish surname possibly derived from "Murchadh", a Scottish Gaelic personal name meaning "sea warrior".

What does the Mcmurchie map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mcmurchie bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.