Murphy
American Heritage Dictionary:
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Mur·phy
(mûr'fē) 
n. Slang, pl., -phies.
n. Slang, pl., -phies.
- A Murphy game.
- or murphy A potato.
[From Murphy, a common Irish name.]
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Murphy (1938), a burlesque novel by Samuel Beckett, set in London, in which an Irishman attempts to free himself from his attachments in a series of contrivances that parody the mind/ body distinction in Cartesian philosophy.
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noun
Also murphy Also murphy
noun, US
1: A potato. (1811 —) .
2: A confidence trick in which the victim is duped by unfulfilled promises of money, sex, etc. Also Murphy game. (1957 —) .
New York Times Everybody should have a car.... How are you going to get it?...You know, you can get it playing the Murphy (1966).verb trans.
3:US To deceive or swindle by means of the Murphy game. (1965 —) .
J. Mills I thought he was a complainant...some school kid who'd been Murpheyed (1972).
[From the Irish surname Murphy; in sense 1, from the former prominence of the potato in the Irish diet.]
Also murphy Also murphy
noun, US
1: A potato. (1811 —) .
2: A confidence trick in which the victim is duped by unfulfilled promises of money, sex, etc. Also Murphy game. (1957 —) .
New York Times Everybody should have a car.... How are you going to get it?...You know, you can get it playing the Murphy (1966).
3:
J. Mills I thought he was a complainant...some school kid who'd been Murpheyed (1972).
[From the Irish surname Murphy; in sense 1, from the former prominence of the potato in the Irish diet.]
| Mulligan, Mrs., Mr. Clean | |
| Murphy's law, Mutt and Jeff, m.o. |
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Murphy
For other uses, see Murphy (disambiguation).
| Murphy | |
|---|---|
| Family name | |
| Meaning | "sea-warrior" |
| Region of origin | Ireland |
| Language(s) of origin | Irish |
| Related names | Murchadh, Murphey, MacMurphy, MacMurrough, Morphy, O'Morchoe, O'Murphy |
Murphy is an Anglicized version of two Irish surnames: Ó Murchadha/Ó Murchadh ("descendant of Murchadh"), and Mac Murchaidh/Mac Murchadh ("son of Murchadh")[1] derived from the Irish personal name Murchadh, which meant "sea-warrior" or "sea-battler".[2] (Muir meaning "sea" and cath meaning "battle").[3]
Spelling variations include Murphey, MacMurphy, MacMurrough, O'Morchoe and others.[4] In modern Irish, "Ó Murchú", rather than "Ó Murchadha", is used.
Murphy is the most common surname in Ireland and the fifty-eighth most common surname in the United States.[5]
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Contents
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Notable people named Murphy
Men
- Alex Murphy (rugby league), English rugby league footballer
- Anthony Murphy (footballer) (born 1982), Irish soccer player
- Anthony Murphy (cricketer) (born 1962), English cricketer
- Arthur Murphy, several people:
- Arthur Murphy (writer) (1727–1805), Irish actor and playwright
- Arthur H. Murphy (1831–1903), entrepreneur and political figure in Quebec, Canada
- Arthur P. Murphy (1870–1914), American Republican politician
- Audie Murphy (1925–1971), American war hero and actor
- Austin J. Murphy (born 1927), Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania
- Barnes Murphy (born 1947), Famous Sligo Gaelic Footballer
- Bob Murphy, several people, see Robert Murphy
- Brian Murphy, several people:
- Brian Murphy (actor) (born 1933), British actor most noted for his role as George Roper in the sitcom George and Mildred
- Brian Murphy (politician), former mayor of Moncton in New Brunswick, Canada
- Brian Murphy (cricketer) (born 1976), former captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team
- Brian Murphy (dual player) (born 1952), former hurler and Gaelic footballer with Cork, Ireland
- Brian Murphy (footballer) (born 1983), currently playing for Bohemian F.C.
- Brian Murphy (politician) (born 1956), first to win independent race in his town
- Brian Murphy (hurler) (born 1982), corner-back on the Cork, Ireland, senior hurling team
- Brian Murphy (writer) (born 1959), religion editor for the Associated Press
- Calvin Murphy (born 1948), American retired basketball player
- Charles Murphy, several people:
- Charles Murphy (1880–1958), Irish politician more commonly referred to as Cathal Ó Murchadha
- Charles Murphy (architect) (1890–1985), the Chicago based architect of C.F. Murphy Associates, later Murphy/Jahn Inc.
- Charles Murphy (Canadian politician) (1862–1935)
- Charles Francis Murphy (1858–1924), American political figure
- Charles Minthorn Murphy (1870–1950), aka "Mile-a-Minute" Murphy, American cyclist
- Charles Quinton Murphy (born 1959), American writer, actor, and stand-up comedian
- Charles Terrence Murphy (politician) (born 1926), Canadian politician
- Cillian Murphy (born 1976), Irish actor
- Colin Murphy, several people:
- Colin Murphy (comedian), Irish comedian
- Colin Murphy (footballer), English football manager
- Colin Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1980), Canadian ice-hockey player
- a different, Anglicized, spelling of Colm Murphy (born 1952), Irish, alleged suspect in the Omagh bombing
- Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin politician in Northern Ireland
- Dale Murphy, several people:
- Dale Murphy (born 1956), American retired baseball player
- Dale D. Murphy, professor at Georgetown University
- Daniel Murphy, several people
- Danny Murphy, several people
- Daryl Murphy, Irish professional football player
- David Murphy, several people:
- David Murphy (baseball) (born 1981), American
- David Murphy (CIA), CIA's station chief in Berlin from 1959–1961
- David Murphy (footballer) (born 1984), English
- David Lee Murphy (born 1959), American country music singer-songwriter
- Dick Murphy (born 1942), American retired Republican politician
- Donald E. Murphy (born 1960), American Republican politician
- Donnie Murphy, American Baseball Player
- Eddie Murphy, several people:
- Eddie Murphy (born 1961), American comedian and actor
- Eddie Murphy (1891–1969), American baseball player
- Edgar Gardner Murphy (1869–1913), American clergyman and author
- Edward Murphy, several people, most notably:
- Major Edward A. Murphy, Jr. 1918–1990, American aerospace engineer linked with Murphy's law
- Elliott Murphy (born 1949), American singer/songwriter
- Everett J. Murphy (1852–1922), politician
- Francis Murphy, several people:
- Francis Murphy (bishop) (1795–1858), Australian bishop
- Francis Murphy (evangelist) (1836–1907), American temperance evangelist
- Francis P. Murphy (1877–1958), Republican 73rd Governor of New Hampshire
- Francis X. Murphy (1915–2002), Catholic theologian and chaplain
- Frank Murphy, several people:
- Frank Murphy (1890–1949), former Justice of the United States Supreme Court
- Frank Murphy (American football) (born 1977), former NFL player
- Frank Murphy (rugby player) (born 1981), Irish professional rugby union player
- B. Frank Murphy (1867–1938), U.S. Representative from Ohio
- George Murphy (1902–1992, American dancer, actor, and Republican Senator
- Henry Murphy, several people:
- Henry Murphy (1877–1954), American architect
- Henry Cruse Murphy (1810–1882), American politician from New York and U.S. minister to the Netherlands
- Isaac Murphy, several people:
- Isaac Murphy (1802–1882), Republican Governor of Arkansas
- Isaac Burns Murphy (1861–1896), American Hall of Fame jockey
- Jack Murphy, several people:
- Jack Murphy (Irish Politician) (1920–1984), Irish republican and independent politician
- Jack Murphy (footballer) (born 1918), retired Australian Rules footballer
- Jack Murphy (sportswriter) (1923–1980), American sportswriter and brother of Bob Murphy
- Jack M. Murphy (1925–1984), Republican Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
- Jack Roland Murphy (born 1938), aka Murph the Surf, American, convicted robber and murderer
- James or Jimmy Murphy, several people:
- James Murphy (electronic musician) (born 1970), American
- James Murphy (metal guitarist) (born 1967), American heavy metal guitarist
- James Murphy (soccer), retired American soccer player
- James "Quick" Murphy (born 1959), retired Canadian football player
- James A. Murphy III, District Attorney, Saratoga County, New York
- James Anthony Murphy (1894–1924), "Jimmy" Murphy, American racing driver
- James J. Murphy (1898–1962), a United States Representative from New York
- James William Murphy (1858–1927), a United States Representative from Wisconsin
- Jimmy Murphy (cartoonist) (1891–1965), cartoonist of Toots and Casper comic strip
- Jimmy Murphy (footballer) (1910–1989), Welsh football player and manager
- Jimmy Murphy (musician), (1925–1981), American Country musician
- Jimmy Murphy (playwright) (born 1962), Irish playwright
- John Murphy, several people:
- John Murphy (Alabama) (1786–1841), American Democratic Governor and Congressman from Alabama
- John Murphy (announcer), American football announcer for the Buffalo Bills
- John Murphy (Australian politician) (born 1950), member of the House of Representatives
- John Murphy (Australian rules footballer) (born 1949), former champion player with the Fitzroy Football Club in the 1960s and 1970s
- John Murphy (baseball infielder) (died 1949), aka Soldier Boy, a baseball infielder
- John Murphy (baseball pitcher), a 19th century baseball pitcher
- John Murphy (Canadian politician) (born 1937), member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1993–1997
- John Murphy (composer) (born 1965), British composer of film scores
- John Murphy (economist), financial market analyst
- John Murphy (English footballer) (born 1976), English striker for Chester City
- John Murphy (Irish footballer), played for Bohemian F.C.
- John Murphy (musician) (born 1959), sometimes credited as "Jonh Murphy", Australian drummer and multi-instrument musician
- John Murphy (playwright) (1929–1998), Irish dramatist, author of The Country Boy.
- John Murphy (swimmer) (born 1953), retired American Olympic gold medalist in swimming
- Father John Murphy (1753–1798), one of the leaders during the Irish Rebellion of 1798
- John A. Murphy (born 1927), Irish historian and former independent Senator from Cork
- John Alphonsus Murphy, American Medal of Honor recipient
- John Benjamin Murphy (1857–1916), American surgeon, president of the American Medical Association in 1911
- John E. Murphy (1869–1941), United States Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient during the Spanish-American War
- John Francis Murphy (1853–1921), American landscape painter
- John J. Murphy (born 1959), American Republican politician
- John Michael Murphy, US Congressman from New York, implicated in Abscam
- John W. Murphy (1902–1962), American Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania
- John W. Murphy (Connecticut), former mayor of New Haven, Connecticut
- Joseph Murphy, several people
- Kevin Murphy, several people:
- Kevin Murphy (actor) (born 1956), American actor, author and puppeteer
- Kevin Murphy (American football) (born 1963), retired American football player
- Kevin Murphy (Irish ombudsman)
- Kevin Murphy (screenwriter), American screenwriter, television producer, and composer
- Kevin Murphy (swimmer) (born 1949), "King of the Channel" title holder for crossing the English Channel
- Kevin M. Murphy, economist and professor at the University of Chicago
- Lambert Murphy (1885–?), American tenor, sang at the Metropolitan Opera
- Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. (born 1974), American singer, winner of season 6 of America's Got Talent
- Larry Murphy (born 1961), Canadian retired professional ice hockey player
- Lionel Murphy (born 1922), Australian politician and jurist
- Marc Murphy (born 1987), Australian rules footballer
- Mark Murphy, several people:
- Mark Murphy (safety b. 1958) (born 1958), retired American football player
- Mark Murphy (safety b. 1955) (born 1955), retired American football player, now President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers
- Mark Murphy (singer) (born c. 1932), American jazz singer
- Martin Murphy, several people
- Matt Murphy, several people:
- Matt Murphy (American football) (born 1980), American football player
- Matt Murphy (blues guitarist) (born 1927), aka Matt "Guitar" Murphy, an American musician
- Matt Murphy (Canadian musician)
- Matt Murphy (Illinois politician), an American Republican Senator
- Matt Murphy (wrestler) (born 1979), aka "All That" Matt Murphy, a retired American professional wrestler
- Michael Murphy, several people:
- Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor
- Michael Murphy (author) (born 1930), American Integral Movement author and co-founder of the Esalen Institute
- Michael Murphy (diver) (born 1973), retired Australian Olympic diver
- Michael Murphy (New Jersey politician) (born 1949), New Jersey lobbyist, former Prosecutor and candidate for Governor
- Michael Murphy (priest) (c. 1767 – 1798), co-leader in the Irish Rebellion of 1798
- Michael Murphy (singer) (born 1986), New Zealand Idol runner up
- Michael Murphy (VC) (c. 1837 – 1893), Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Michael Bryan Murphy, former lead singer of REO Speedwagon
- Michael D. Murphy, United States Air Force Colonel under charges for falsely claiming to be an attorney
- Michael P. Murphy (1976–2005), United States Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient, killed in action in Afghanistan
- Michael Martin Murphey (born 1945, American singer and songwriter
- Mick Murphy (Sinn Féin politician) (born 1942)
- Mike Murphy, several people:
- Mike Murphy (broadcaster) (born 1941), retired Irish broadcaster
- Mike Murphy (ice hockey b. 1950), retired ice hockey player and head coach, currently NHL vice-president of hockey operations
- Mike Murphy (ice hockey b. 1989), ice hockey player for the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League
- Mike Murphy (New Brunswick politician) (born 1958), Canadian lawyer and Liberal politician
- Mike Murphy (political consultant) (born 1962), American Republican political consultant
- Mike Murphy (Washington politician), Democratic Treasurer of the State of Washington
- Nicholas Murphy (born 1978), Gaelic footballer
- Nicholas Daniel Murphy (1811–1890), Irish politician from Cork, Member of Parliament (MP) 1865–1880
- Nick Murphy (born 1979), American football player
- Oakes Murphy (1849–1908), Two-time Governor of Arizona Territory
- Paul Murphy, several people
- Peter Murphy, several people:
- Peter Murphy (artist) (born 1959), English Stuckist artist
- Peter Murphy (footballer born 1980) (born 1980), Irish international footballer
- Peter Murphy (JAG), American lawyer and officer in the United States Marine Corps
- Peter Murphy (musician) (born 1957), British musician with Bauhaus
- Peter Murphy (politician) (born 1949), American politician, Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
- Peter Murphy (UK footballer) (1922–1975), aka "Spud" Murphy, English footballer
- Peter Murphy (executive) American entertainment executive
- Philip D. Murphy (born 1957), ambassador
- Richard Murphy, several people:
- Dick Murphy (Richard M. Murphy) (born 1942), American retired Republican politician
- Richard Murphy (architect), Scottish architect
- Richard Murphy (poet) (born 1927), Irish poet
- Richard Murphy (screenwriter) (1912–1993), American film and television writer
- Richard L. Murphy (1875–1936), American Senator from Iowa
- Richard W. Murphy (born 1929), American diplomat
- Rob Murphy, several people:
- Rob Murphy (born 1960), American retired baseball player
- Rob Murphy (basketball), American assista basketball coach
- Rob Murphy (football player) (born 1977), professional Canadian football player
- Rob Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1969), Canadian retired ice hockey player
- Robert Murphy, several people:
- Irish Bob Murphy (1922–1961), American light heavyweight boxer
- Bob Murphy (announcer) (1924–2004), American baseball announcer
- Bob Murphy (golfer) (born 1943), American PGA winning golfer
- Bob Murphy (musician), Canadian jazz pianist
- Robert Murphy (Australian rules footballer) (born 1982), Australian rules football
- Robert C. Murphy (1926–2000), American lawyer and judge
- Robert Cushman Murphy (1887–1973), American ornithologist
- Robert Daniel Murphy (1894&ndas1978), American diplomat
- Robert F. Murphy, American retired Republican politician, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1957 to 1961
- Robert F. Murphy (anthropologist) (1924–1990), American anthropologist
- Robert P. Murphy (born 1976), American economist and author
- Robert S. Murphy (1861–1912), American politician, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1911
- Ryan Murphy, two people:
- Ryan Murphy (Australian rules footballer) (born 1985)
- Ryan Murphy (writer), American television writer, director and producer
- Scott Murphy, three people:
- Scott Murphy (politician), current Democratic candidate in a special election for New York's 20th congressional district
- Scott Murphy, a programmer behind the Space Quest series
- Sean Murphy, several people:
- Sean Murphy (artist), cartoonist
- Sean Murphy (cryptographer), professor at Royal Holloway, University of London
- Seán Murphy (footballer), retired Irish football player
- Sean Murphy (golfer) (born 1965), American professional golfer
- Sean Murphy (journalist) (born 1958), Australian journalist
- Sean Murphy (Oz), a fictional character on the television series Oz
- Sean Murphy (racer) (born 1984)
- Shaun Murphy, several people:
- Shaun Murphy (cue sports) (born 1982), English snooker player
- Shaun Murphy (footballer) (born 1970), retired Australian soccer player
- note: there also is a woman of this name: Shaun Murphy (singer), aka Stoney, American singer
- Stephon Murphy (born 1997), North Carolina's biggest pot dealer, Musical producer, American rapper
- Shawn Murphy (born 1951), Canadian Liberal politician
- Timothy Murphy, several people:
- Tim Murphy (born 1959), retired Canadian politician
- Tim Murphy, a fictional character in Jurassic Park
- Tim Murphy (congressman) (born 1952), American Republican politician
- Tim Murphy (football coach), currently at Harvard University
- Timothy Murphy (1751–1818), sniper in the American Revolutionary War
- Timothy D. Murphy (died 1928), aka "Big Tim", Chicago mobster and labor racketeer
- Timothy J. Murphy (died 1949), Irish Labour Party politician
- Timothy Patrick Murphy (1959–1988), American film and television actor
- Thomas Murphy (or Tom), several people
- Tom Murphy (athlete), American middle distance runner
- Troy Murphy, power forward for the Boston Celtics
- Turlach Murphy (born 1982), Irish gaelic gootballer, wing half back for Rostrevor GAC
- Vincent B. Murphy, NYS Comptroller 1925–1926
- Vincent J. Murphy, Mayor of Newark 1941–1949
- Wendell H. Murphy, North Carolina politician
- William Murphy, several people
- Yo Murphy, football player, CFL, NFL
Women
- Caitlin Murphy (born 1986), Australian actress
- Brittany Murphy (1977–2009), American actress
- Caitlin Murphy (born 1986), actress who plays the Yellow Overdrive Ranger in Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive
- Dervla Murphy (born 1931), travel writer
- Carolyn Murphy (born 1975), American model
- Donna Murphy (born 1958), American Tony Award winning actress
- Erin Murphy, several people:
- Erin Murphy (born 1964), American actress
- Erin Murphy (poet), American poet
- Erin Murphy (politician) (born 1960), Minnesota politician
- Gillian Murphy. principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre
- Kelly Murphy (born 1977), American author and illustrator
- Mary Murphy, several people:
- Mary Murphy (actress) (born 1931), American actress
- Mary Murphy (choreographer), American choreographer
- Mary Murphy (politician) (born 1940), American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Mary Murphy (reporter) (born 1959), American reporter and anchorwoman
- Róisín Murphy (born 1973), Irish electronica singer, songwriter, and producer
- Shaun Murphy (singer), aka Stoney, American singer
Fictional
- Alex James Murphy, the police officer who became RoboCop
- Alexis "Lex" Murphy, a character in Jurassic Park
- Bridey Murphy, historical character in a hypnotic regression case detailed in Bernstein's The Search for Bridey Murphy
- "Bleeding Gums" Murphy, a character on the cartoon television series The Simpsons
- Dr. Colin Murphy, character on the American soap opera Days of our Lives
- Sean Murphy, an Irish correctional officer in the HBO drama Oz
- Murphy, the eponymous protagonist in Samuel Beckett's first published novel
- Professor Michael Murphy, the protagonist in the Babylon Rising series by Dr Tim LaHaye
- Murphy MacManus, one of the two main characters from the movie The Boondock Saints
- Murphy, professional wrestler also known as Mikael Judas
- Randle Patrick McMurphy, one of the main characters in Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
See also
References
- ^ Brewer, Paul (2002). Ireland: History, People, Culture. Running Press. p. 351. ISBN 0-7624-1269-0.
- ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1991). The Surnames of Ireland. Irish Academic Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-7165-2366-6.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 352, 406, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
- ^ Murphy - Surname Meaning and Definition. Irish-Genealogy.com
- ^ "Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000". Census.gov. http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/data/2000surnames/index.html. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
External links
- Murphys of Ireland website, featuring general information about the Murphy surname, including derivation and discussion of the major early Murchadha septs in Ireland.
- Official Home of the Murphy Clan, including a wealth of historical content about Ireland's Murphy Clan such as clan history, famous people, homelands, genealogy, discussion forums and blog articles.
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Mentioned in
Morphis
(family name)
Murphey
(family name)
Murphree
(family name)
Murphrey
(family name)
Murphy bed
(bed)
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