Contents [hide]

Muirhead History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Muirhead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the Muirhead family lived among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. Muirhead is a name for someone who lived in Lanark, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages. The name denotes "one who came from Muirhead (end of the moor)the name of several places in Scotland; dweller at the end of the marsh." 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Muirhead family

The surname Muirhead was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow. Today, Muirhead is a small suburb of Glasgow, about 7 miles North-East of the city center.

The name originates "from one or other of the many localities of the name in the southern counties, perhaps from Muirhead in the barony of Rothwell. The lands and town of Mureheid in the diocese of Ross are mentioned in 1576, but the surname is not likely to have originated there. The first of the name in record is said to have been Sir William Muirhead of Lachope, end of fourteenth century. Probably the same person as William de Murehede who witnessed a charter of lands of Cranshaws in 1401." 4

Early History of the Muirhead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Muirhead research. Another 221 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1401, 1432, 1471, 1484, 1491, 1493, 1498, 1503, 1504, 1507, 1513, 1522, 1527, 1577, 1620, 1624, 1637, 1668, 1670, 1691, 1692, 1742, 1805, 1807, 1808, 1825, 1828, 1831, 1854, 1857, 1862, 1863, 1882, 1889 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Muirhead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muirhead Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Muirhead has been spelled Muirhead, Morehead, Moorhead, Moorehead, Murehead and others.

Early Notables of the Muirhead family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

James Muirhead (1742-1808), Scottish song-writer, son of Muirhead of Logan (representing an ancient family), was born in 1742 in the parish of Buittle, Kirkcudbrightshire. James Muirhead (1831-1889)...

Muirhead Ranking

In the United States, the name Muirhead is the 12,171^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Muirhead family to Ireland

Some of the Muirhead family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Muirhead migration to the United States +

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them:

Muirhead Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James and John Muirhead who were banished to the New World in 1685 by Judge Jeffreys
George Muirhead, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 6
John Muirhead, who arrived in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1685 6

Muirhead Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Muirhead, who landed in America in 1810 6
James Muirhead, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1813 6
Alexander Muirhead, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1847
Robert Muirhead, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 6

Muirhead migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Muirhead Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Muirhead, (Robert), British soldier who was convicted in India for life for murder, transported aboard the "Cawdry" in 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Samuel Muirhead, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Helen Thompson" in 1840 8
Jane Muirhead, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Joseph Rowan" 9
William Muirhead, aged 21, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Marion" 10
James Muirhead, aged 20, a painter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "William Stevenson" 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Muirhead migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Muirhead Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Muirhead, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Margaret Muirhead, aged 24, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Christina Muirhead, aged 4, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842
Mr. J. Muirhead, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1858 12
Mrs. Muirhead, Scottish settler with 2 children travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1858 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Muirhead (post 1700) +

William B. Muirhead, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1940, 1944 13
C. Edward Muirhead, American Republican politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 8th District, 1992 13
Stanley Nelson Muirhead (1902-1942), American football player, member of the 1922 and 1923 College Football All-America Team
Eve Muirhead MBE (b. 1990), Scottish 2013 World Women's Curling Championship skip from Perth, bronze medalist at the 2014 Winter Olympics
George Muirhead (1715-1773), Scottish linguist, eponym of the Muirhead Prizes
Gordon Muirhead, Scottish gold, four-time silver and bronze medalist curler, former World Champion, father of Eve Muirhead
Robert Franklin Muirhead (1860-1941), Scottish mathematician who developed Muirhead's inequality
Scott Muirhead (b. 1984), Scottish professional footballer from Paisley
Aaron Muirhead (b. 1990), Scottish footballer from Dumfries
Thomas "Tommy" Allan Muirhead (1897-1979), Scottish footballer
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Muirhead family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. William Muirhead, English 3rd Class passenger from England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 14

The Muirhead Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Auxilio Dei
Motto Translation: By the help of God.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 13th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cawdry
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HELEN THOMPSON 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840HelenThompson.gif
South Australian Register Saturday 17th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Joseph Rowan 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/josephrowan1854.shtml
South Australian Register Tuesday 12th December 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Marion 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marion1854.shtml
South Australian Register Friday 2nd February 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) William Stevenson 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamstevenson1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/