Boys' name · since 1880
Murray
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 21,908 babies named Murray, peaking in 1922. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #797 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,604 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 21,908
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Murray is the #2604 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 21,908 recorded since 1880.
Murray has 21,908 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2604 as of the latest data, more common than 81% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #797 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #2,604 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 21,908 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Murray ranks #797 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,604 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 21,908 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #797 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #2,604 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 21,908
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Murray's 21,908 recorded births place it above 98.24% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Murray compares
21,908 Top 6% higher than 94% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Murray's all-time total is 59x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Murray | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 21,908 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 628 | 34 | 22,252 |
Murray's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Murray's full recorded timeline at 1953, 27% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 73% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 14 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1922 peak of 628 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Murray popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 628
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Murray popularity over time - girls
391 total births recorded since 1904 (Murray as girls' name)
Murray by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (5,542 births, 25% of the file).
1920s was Murray's strongest decade.
5,542 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Murray births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 203
1880s
203 births
- 1890s 298
1890s
298 births
- 1900s 522
1900s
522 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,261 births
- 1920s
1920s
5,542 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,908 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,539 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,681 births
- 1960s 1,633
1960s
1,633 births
- 1970s 671
1970s
671 births
- 1980s 417
1980s
417 births
- 1990s 304
1990s
304 births
- 2000s 230
2000s
230 births
- 2010s 404
2010s
404 births
- 2020s 295
2020s
295 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 5,542 births (25% of all-time use).
How Murray compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Murray's total volume
Murray by state
Where Murray concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 6,585 | 30.1% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 1,042 | 4.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 741 | 3.4% |
| #4 | California | | 703 | 3.2% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 580 | 2.6% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 517 | 2.4% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 493 | 2.3% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 459 | 2.1% |
6,585 of 21,908 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Murray appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Murray? ▼
Where does Murray sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Murray most popular? ▼
Where is Murray most popular? ▼
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What names are similar to Murray? ▼
What to do with Murray's data
- Murray's decade-level peak was the 1920s (5,542 total births); usage has since declined to 295 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Murrays (6,585 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Murray
Nearby Names Like Murray
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Murray
Compare Murray side by side: Murray vs Murphy Murray vs Murry Murray vs Murl
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Murray
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Murray: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1922)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Murray draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.