The Clan from whom the Murtough family descends began among the ancient Dalriadan tribe of the west coast of Scotland. The name Murtough derives from one of two Gaelic names which have become indistinguishable from each other. The first of these, "Muireach," means "belonging to the sea" or "a mariner." The second name is "Murchadh," which means "sea warrior." The name was no doubt originally a nickname for a person associated with the sea.
The surname Murtough was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, 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 Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Murtough research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1175, 1214, 1296, and 1420 are included under the topic Early Murtough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Murdock, Murdoch, Murtoch, Murtough and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Murtough Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Murtough 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.