Scotch-Irish-L Archives
Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2002-08 > 1028506799
From: <>
Subject: Re: [Scotch-Irish] Murdy/ McKeever
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 17:19:59 -0700
Hi Nancy, Murdy/McMurdy is very common in colonial SI circles.
Bell does have the name as McMURTY. The t and d are phonetically
very close and are confused. It is also with McCURDY for very good
reasons having to do with lenition variations in Gaelic. Bell isn't
clear on the origins of the variant MacMurty but thinks there was
an Irish surname that becamse lost in the Scots variants.
Since English spelling was not standardized till quite late and
surnames were especially fluid in Ulster (as late as 1900 some
English and Gealic versions of a name were used at the same time),
it's not possible to know much unless you can find local history
of the family in your area of L'Derry.
You might check Griffiths for (Mc)MurTy. In any case, Protestants
were more mobile than Catholics. Many Presbyterians were the middle
class -- the tradesmen: blacksmiths, etc. They moved about from
town to town.
One of my ancestor's first husband was a Job McMurdy in Western PA.
Regards,
Linda Merle
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Nancy M. Lyons" <>
Date: Sun, 04 Aug 2002 16:32:53 -0400
>Hello all,
>Has anyone run across the surname Murdy? Robert Murdy married Lucinda McKeever in the townland of Maghera County Londonderry in 1867. They were married in the Church of Ireland, however I suspect a Presbyterian background for at least Lucinda. I checked The Book of Scots-Irish Surnames by Bell, and could find no reference to Murdy. In The Surnames of Ireland I see Mac Murdy as being a Co Cavan variant of Mac Muircheartaigh: see Mac BreartyMac Mordie is another variant in Ulster. Can anyone shed any light on the name Murdy? I find none in Griffiths in that area. There is a John McKeaver Jr in the Tithe Applotment in Maghera.
>Thanks,
>nancy
>
>
This thread: