English
Murdoch
Murdoch may come from Scottish Gaelic muir ‘sea’.
- Scottish Gaelicmodernmuir‘sea’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 2021Murdoch
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Scottish Gaelicmodernmuir‘sea’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 2021Murdoch
Earliest quotation: 2021, Brian Lowry: “The four-part Showtime docuseries charts the importance of gossip…”
The story
Unknown, but possibly from Scottish Gaelic muir (‘sea’), or from muireach (‘mariner’); or from descendants of Clan Macpherson, also titled "Clann Mhuirich" indicating descent from "Mhuirich the Parson"; or from descendants of legendary bard Muiredach O Daly.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mer- ‘sea, lake, wetland’
remember, murder, nightmare, maritime, mortality, mortal, submarine, mortar, mara, morbid, muller, mort, morn, mariner, ambrosia, marshy, moribund, marinara, cormorant, 59 more
through Proto-Indo-European *móri ‘sea’
march, marine, mere, marsh, mare, moor, marinate, maar, 17 more
Today it means
name A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Scottish Gaelic muir / Murdoch