Murtagh Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Murtagh last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Murtagh last name
Meaning of the Murtagh last name: descendant of the navigator. Murtagh comes from the Gaelic Ó Muircheartaigh, from a personal name usually explained as "skilled at sea" or "navigator". The name was borne by several early Irish kings. Families of the name lived in Meath, Westmeath, Roscommon and Sligo, and it is still common in the midlands and the west. A curious detail: in Kerry and Cork the same Gaelic name was usually turned into English as Moriarty.
Arms associated with the Murtagh name
Irish heraldry often features hands, trees and animals drawn from old stories, and the arms associated with the Murtagh name belong to that tradition.
Get your full Murtagh family history
This is only a glimpse of the Murtagh story. The full Murtagh history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Murtagh coat of arms. Get the full Murtagh report.
Murtagh name FAQ
What does the Murtagh name mean?
Descendant of the navigator. Common variants include Murtha, Murtaugh, Moriarty.
Where does the Murtagh surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, England and Australia.
Is there a Murtagh coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Murtagh coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).