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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Murphy-or am I mad?!

56 replies

MrsAmos · 16/03/2012 13:19

Currently expecting DS2 and may be going bonkers but today I've decided I quite like the name Murphy..... Struggled with boys names the first time and this time is no different, DS1 is Fred so need something relatively traditional but don't want to risk there being 5 other children with the same name in the class etc. Any thoughts??

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HardCheese · 16/03/2012 16:41

There's nothing to get, jaffa, to be honest. Just a general association between Murphy as a typically Irish name, and the association of potatoes with Irishness, via a perception they're still crucial to the Irish diet, the Famine etc etc.

thegreylady · 16/03/2012 16:39

A 'murphy' is a name for a potato honestly-less well known now but common in the last century -I remember in the 50's being sent for a bag of murphies for my gran.
I actually like Murphy as a name and there are worse nn's than Spud!

jaffacakehips · 16/03/2012 16:30

I like it. Just throwing them in for good measure..what about Murray?

I also don't get the spud/potato association Hmm

BackforGood · 16/03/2012 16:29

Yup - you're mad Grin
It's a surname (although I do know a dog with that name too)

igggi · 16/03/2012 16:26

Murphy was a character in Remington Steele who I rather fancied as a child. Dh has vetoed it though.

HardCheese · 16/03/2012 16:08

Piedwagtail, did you actually consciously intend that to be so violently offensive, or are you just that unthinkingly ignorant on a daily basis?

OP, it is a nice name, but - speaking as a UK-resident Irish person who deals with face-to-face versions of Piedwagtail's moronic assumptions on a not irregular basis - I think you should consider very carefully the connotations of giving your child a surname so closely associated with Irishness in a country where that still, for some people, has asociations with violence, stupidity and fecklessness. (It's very different, for instance, to calling your baby 'Smith' or some of the other popularly surnamish names.)

It is the most common surname in Ireland, too - if that matters to you.

doughnutty · 16/03/2012 14:52

You don't need most youngsters to make the connection, you just need one. Or their older sibling, cousin, dad, grandma, random stranger who you introduce your child to.

It is just what people called Murphy get called round here. I'm not Irish and no Irish connections.

Arguing that it's stupid is pointless. It may well be, but it doesn't change the fact that it has that connection.

The OP asked our opinions and it would be strange be not to mention it when she is not aware of a potential problem. Surely, that is what this forum is for.

I, personally, quite like Spud as a nn. I have known a couple and they were both really, really good people and Spud from Trainspotting (last name Murphy) has to be one of the funniest characters ever written/portrayed on film

bigpigeon · 16/03/2012 14:37

My nephew is a Murphy. Gets nicknamed Smurf.

Floggingmolly · 16/03/2012 14:33

Agreed, Puffpants. I have Irish connections and I think you're bonkers.

StillSquiffy · 16/03/2012 14:32

Sorry, but mad. That's the first name suggestion on MN that I've spluttered over.

sonniebonnie · 16/03/2012 14:31

It just sounds like a normal name to my ears. I wouldn't make any connections, neither with a country or potatoes. I don't think most youngsters would either these days.

fussbucket · 16/03/2012 14:31

The only Murphy I know is a dog.

AllotmentLottie · 16/03/2012 14:29

aware

AllotmentLottie · 16/03/2012 14:25

Lockets, that is interesting. The Murphy I know is in Australia, he is ten though, which is not a dissimilar age. I wonder if location makes a difference, though I can't think why Oz kids would be more away of the "Spud Murphy" link than others.

RetiredDJ · 16/03/2012 14:25

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PuffPants · 16/03/2012 14:25

Sorry, to me it's a bit like calling an Irishman "Paddy" when you don't know his actual name. Like in a joke: "Murphy and Paddy were standing at the bar..."

Any Irish people you met would think you were bonkers.

AllotmentLottie · 16/03/2012 14:24

There used to be a brand of potato called Murphy's grown in Ireland, I think - think it is from that. And the head of Tayto's crisps was Joe "Spud" Murphy, there have been a couple of footballers called "Spud" Murphy, a US jazz guy, etc.

The Artermis Fowl guy has also written a book with Spud Murphy in the title.

FilterCoffee · 16/03/2012 14:20

Too surnamey IMHO.

mayanna123 · 16/03/2012 14:19

"It's an oh so sophisticated link between an Irish name and a foodstuff that is associated with Ireland."

Thanks squoosh but I still don't really understand the link. Do you think most kids would make that connection? I doubt it!

I think Fred and Murphy go quite well together, actually.

slovenlydotcom · 16/03/2012 14:17

I like it- and did not get the photo thing either

PiedWagtail · 16/03/2012 14:17

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lockets · 16/03/2012 14:17

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ItWasThePenguins · 16/03/2012 14:16

I don't get the potato thing, I like it =)

squoosh · 16/03/2012 14:12

It's an oh so sophisticated link between an Irish name and a foodstuff that is associated with Ireland.

Marmite2012 · 16/03/2012 14:09

I like it - I don't get the spud/potato association either!

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