Murphy for a girl?

After seeing the movie Interstellar, I’ve been thinking about how the main character’s daughter was named Murphy. What do you think of it?

I’m tempted to insert “[name_m]Brown[/name_m]” after the name [name_u]Murphy[/name_u]. Actress [name_f]Candice[/name_f] [name_m]Bergen[/name_m] played another strong female character named [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_m]Brown[/name_m] for years on television. I don’t really like it for any gender but I’m not usually a fan of the “surname as first name” trend unless the surname has family significance. I would definitely advise choosing a traditional female name in the middle spot (eg. [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] etc…) just in case your daughter wants to use her mn when she grows up.

I think it is really cute! It makes me think of [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_m]Brown[/name_m] from the tv series who was also a strong woman. I’m not sure what kind of names you would like for a middle but I would go with something distinctively feminine given that [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] has a unisex or masculine feel to it.

Yeah, basically what @mischa said. It’s a pretty heavy name for a woman of any age to wear imo. [name_f]Do[/name_f] to some bad associations I have, I tend to think the name sounds sort of… not all that classy, for lack of better words. It was that particular family’s last name though, and I don’t know anyone who has it as a first.

What about Murron? It sounds feminine, and to me it seems more wearable for a girl.

I love, love, love [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] for a girl (or boy- it is one of the few unisex names that I really like). I think it grows really well and the nickname Murph is adorable too. Paired with a super feminine / slightly quirky middle name, this could be very spunky and stunning.

Maybe:
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Geneva[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Plum[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Jacoba[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Eliza[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Mab[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Adela[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Olive[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Odelia[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Margalo[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Anneliese[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Gwendolen[/name_f]
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f]

I think it’s hideous. It is perfect for dogs or old men with hair growing out of their ears. Sorry.

I don’t like it on a boy, much less a girl

I think it’s a great name for a dog, or a cat. I see the appeal for this name-- but on a girl, not so much. Many other Y ending names and uni-sex names out there.

Sorry - not a fan at all.

I also think that it’s really sad that we as a society so often jump to giving girls boys names in order to give them a “strong” name. Female names do not have to be frilly, fussy or stuffy. There are plenty of wonderful female names that have a history of strength, resilience, spunkiness and independence. Bestowing a truly strong female name upon a daughter seems like a more meaningful way of imparting the idea that femininity can be powerful, quirky, kick-arse and strong.

No. Not in my opinion. It’s a total old man name.

I totally fell in love with the name [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] for a girl after watching that movie! I don’t know how it would relate [name_m]IRL[/name_m] - the movie is totally sci-fi and the name is because of [name_u]Murphy[/name_u]'s [name_m]Law[/name_m], so it works in the movie.

The same thing happened to me after watching the series “The 100” - the main character is a female named [name_m]Clarke[/name_m] and I love it. Actually, that show has tons of awesomely named characters.

It seems more like a beloved dog than a child of either sex to me. I can imagine a darling little girl or a svelte, glamorous woman wearing it well… but it almost requires movie-star looks to make it work.

[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] was my daughter’s code name when she was younger. When she was acting extra cheeky, we’d refer to her as [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] or Murph-Girl. Still not totally sure how it came about. Therefore, I don’t actually mind it. I agree with pp, definitely give a more feminine middle name. My friend has a [name_u]Murray[/name_u] [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f] which I think is a great combo.

That’s my assessment too, unfortunately. I’d like to like it, and I see what you’re getting at, but I think it would take a lot of personality to pull off. It’s still very much a geezer/dog name for boys, let alone girls. [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u] [name_m]Foy[/name_m] and [name_f]Jessica[/name_f] Chastain both have charisma, self-confidence, beauty, and screen presence in spades in the role of [name_u]Murphy[/name_u], which I think maybe makes the name seem more wearable than it actually would be in real life. Not to mention that, as a previous poster said, the character was named for a scientific principle and not because the name itself was cool. If you chose it, I think you’d get a lot of blank looks and would spend a great deal of time explaining, as not everyone will remember or have seen Interstellar. You’d have to really, really, really stand by it.

It’s down to you and your taste, but I at least am not feeling quite that brave.

I understand that it might not be everyone’s cup of tea but words like hideous are a little strong. I’m not saying that because I’m offended, I’m just surprised at all the negative comments. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you really think it’s so bad that it’s unusable?

I don’t particularly like a few names ([name_u]Lee[/name_u], [name_f]Gina[/name_f], [name_f]Nicole[/name_f], [name_m]Eddie[/name_m], what have you) but I wouldn’t call them ugly or say it’s wrong to name your child that name. If a name was racist or had a negative association I would understand. Or is it really just that bad?

Not a fan at all.

I’ve been a little surprised at how negative and blunt commenters can be on this forum, but I’ve come to think of that as a strength. Here, everyone responds to names as just names, rather than people who have those names. I would hope no one who meets a sweet baby girl named [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] would react negatively, but that’s the value here – you get reactions no one would otherwise ever say to your face. I also think unisex and masculine names tend to get less support on this forum than very feminine ones, which is probably an inherent bias of a forum that attracts commenters who are interested in girls names.

It’s interesting that you say this. In the year or so I’ve been on Nameberry, I’ve actually found the opposite to be true over and over. Many people have no problem at all with the idea of naming their daughters [name_u]Owen[/name_u], [name_u]Tyler[/name_u], [name_u]Jordan[/name_u], or [name_u]Frankie[/name_u], but even posters who enjoy girls’ names more than boys’ will attack names like [name_f]Seraphina[/name_f], [name_f]Anastasia[/name_f], [name_f]Melissa[/name_f], [name_f]Juliana[/name_f] etc. etc. as being too “princessy,” “frilly,” or “fussy.” In other words, they’re overtly feminine, and this makes some people uncomfortable for fear that their daughters will be labeled “girly-girls” and won’t get ahead in a culture that values strength, tenacity, aggression, and a desire to reach the top at all costs.

In [name_u]Murphy[/name_u]‘s case, I don’t think it’s so much a matter of posters who love girls’ names bashing it simply because it isn’t traditionally feminine. This particular name really hasn’t been heard on males very often in the last few decades, so it sounds like a grandpa name even for a little boy. (#1,389 for boys last year, with only 121 births in the U.S. Compare that with [name_u]Noah[/name_u]'s 19,144 births.) It’s a choice that just naturally sounds a little odd on a girl to a lot of people, particularly those who haven’t seen Interstellar. Kind of like naming a little girl [name_m]Bart[/name_m], [name_m]Arthur[/name_m], or [name_m]Leonard[/name_m]. You certainly can; there’s no law against it. But people are going to raise eyebrows.

By the way, [name_u]Murphy[/name_u] was given to 42 little girls last year! Actually that’s pretty impressive, as my favorite girls’ name only got 7 births.