Murray is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Murray means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Murray across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Murray has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Murray is a boy name of Scottish (Gaelic) origin meaning “settlement by the sea”. A Scottish surname from the region of Moray.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 22,299 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 688 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3,575 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 7 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 7 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 4,843 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Murray per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1922 (635/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2015 (121/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (41/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2015 (4/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2010 (4/yr).
Murray has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1922, when it ranked #465 nationally (given to 635 babies that year).
Mary · Maria · Mariah · Mayra · Myra · Mira · Maura · Merry
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