| Murphy | Kane | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Sea-warrior | Little battle / warrior |
| Origin | irish | irish |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | MUR-fee | KAYN |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1898 | 1953 |
| Peak year | 2025 (783) | 2018 (1,055) |
| In 2025 | 783 | 695 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Murphy | Kane |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,123 | 5,099 |
| 2010s | 837 | 7,035 |
| 2000s | 271 | 3,674 |
| 1990s | 337 | 2,252 |
| 1980s | 35 | 735 |
| 1970s | 0 | 471 |
| 1960s | 0 | 165 |
| 1950s | 0 | 90 |
| 1940s | 5 | 0 |
| 1930s | 28 | 0 |
| 1920s | 9 | 0 |
| 1910s | 33 | 0 |
| 1900s | 5 | 0 |
| 1890s | 5 | 0 |
From the Irish surname Ó Murchadha, from 'muir' (sea) and 'cath' (battle), giving 'sea-warrior' or 'sea-battler'. One of the most common surnames in Ireland, now used as a given name.
The 'battle/warrior' sense comes from the Irish Ó Catháin, from 'cath' (battle). Flagged: Kane has several unrelated origins - Hawaiian 'man' (and a deity), a weakly attested Welsh 'beautiful', and Japanese readings - so only the Irish line carries the warrior meaning.
Murphy is more popular than Kane today: about 783 US babies were given the name Murphy in 2025, compared with 695 named Kane.
Murphy means Sea-warrior (irish origin), while Kane means Little battle / warrior (irish origin).
In US records, Murphy first appears in 1898 and Kane in 1953, so Murphy has the longer recorded history.