Originally, McMurdy was a nickname for a seagoing warrior. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Mhurchaidh, which means son of the sea warrior.
The surname McMurdy was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McMurdy research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McMurdy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. McMurdy has appeared in various documents spelled MacMurdo, MacMurdie, MacMurdy, Murdoson, MacMurdiston and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early McMurdy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name McMurdy, or a variant listed above: