US rank #2705 Boys' name Peak 1922 21,859 births

Murray — #2705 US boys' name

21,859 babies named Murray in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2031890s2981900s5221910s32611920s55421930s29081940s25391950s26811960s16341970s6711980s4171990s3042000s2302010s4042020s245
#2705
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 81% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

25% of everyone ever named Murray was born in this single decade.

1922
Single peak year

628 babies were named Murray in 1922 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Murray

The Social Security Administration has registered 21,859 babies named Murray between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Murray currently holds the #2705 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1922, when 628 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Murray performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 5,542 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Murray shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 6,585 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Texas. In total, SSA state-level files list Murray in 40 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Murray in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 21,859 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Murray at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

21,859

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1922

628 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#2,705

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Murray popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1922)
628
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2000200400600800 202420051986196719481929191018911880 17

Murray popularity over time — girls

383 total births recorded since 1904 (Murray as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 383 births
468101214 202420171969195419461932192319161904 5

Murray by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
5,542 births that decade — 25% of Murray's all-time total
1880s2031890s2981900s5221910s32611920s55421930s29081940s25391950s26811960s16341970s6711980s4171990s3042000s2302010s4042020s245

Murray by state

Where Murray concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Murray
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 2.7%
#6 Alabama
517 2.4%
#7 Illinois
493 2.3%
#8 Georgia
459 2.1%
New York share of Murray's total US births 30.1%
Even split

6,585 of 21,859 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?
21,859 babies have been named Murray since 1880. It currently ranks #2705 among boys. The peak year was 1922 with 628 births.
When was Murray most popular?
Murray was most popular in the 1920s decade with 5,542 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Murray most popular?
The top states for the name Murray are New York (6,585 births), Pennsylvania (1,042 births), Texas (741 births).
How long has the name Murray been used?
Murray has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Murray?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Murphy, Murry, Murl, Murrell, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.