Murtha History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Murtha is Ó Muircheartaigh, which is derived from the word "muircheartach," which means "navigator."

Early Origins of the Murtha family

The surname Murtha was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province.

"The name Moriarty is now largely represented in County Kerry, in which county the O'Moriartys were Chiefs in the Barony of Dunkerron." 1

The fictional Professor James Moriarty in some of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was based on Doyle's discussions with a Scotland Yard inspector and his knowledge of Adam Worth (1844-1902), the German-born American criminal mastermind.

Early History of the Murtha family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Murtha research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Murtha History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Murtha Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, surname were rarely recorded except by clerks, priests and registrars. As a name was spelt by scribes solely based on how it sounded, one's name could have been recorded many different ways during the life of its bearer. Numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Murtha family name. Variations found include Moriarty, O'Moriarty, Murtagh, Murtag, McMoriarty and many more.

Early Notables of the Murtha family

More information is included under the topic Early Murtha Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Murtha Ranking

In the United States, the name Murtha is the 14,808^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Murtha migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Murtha:

Murtha Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Barney Murtha, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1864 3
Catherine Murtha, aged 20, who landed in America, in 1896

Murtha Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ellen Murtha, who landed in America, in 1904
Julia Murtha, aged 25, who settled in America from Laresboro, Ireland, in 1904
Bridget Murtha, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States from Cavan, in 1905
Jerome Murtha, who immigrated to America, in 1907
Daniel Murtha, aged 24, who settled in America from Castlepollard, Ireland, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Murtha migration to Australia +

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

Murtha Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Murtha, (b. 1780), aged 40, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Murtha (post 1700) +

John Murtha (b. 1951), Wisconsin politician and legislator
John Garvan Murtha (b. 1941), United States federal judge
Lydon J. Murtha (b. 1985), American NFL football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins
John Patrick "Jack" Murtha Jr. (1932-2010), American politician from Pennsylvania, eponym of the USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26)
William H. Murtha, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Senate 2nd District, 1880-81; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1888 5
Michael J. Murtha, American politician, Farmer-Labor Candidate for New York State Assembly from Monroe County 2nd District, 1920 5
John Patrick Murtha Jr. (1932-2010), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1969-74; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 12th District, 1974- 5
James Alfred Murtha (b. 1870), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State Senate 2nd District, 1911-18; Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1915-19 5
James Murtha, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1940 5
Harold Murtha, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1952 5
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. Print
"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 Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html