Murgatroyd is an English surname. Its etymology, according to one source, is as follows: in 1371, a constable was appointed for the district of Warley in Yorkshire. He adopted the name of Johanus de Morgateroyde, or literally: Johanus of Moor Gate Royde or the district leading to the moor. Another source says the place name means Margaret's road. In Norse, the Royd meant "Clearing" (as in a forest) Although Moorgate in London was a gate with the road to the moor passing through, in Yorkshire, Gate (again from Norse) means street, so Moor Gate Royd would be "A clearing in the forest on the road to the moor".
The name is also used in the favorite catchphrase of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Snagglepuss – "Heavens to Murgatroyd!", a line first spoken by Bert Lahr in the film Meet the People, whom Snagglepuss' voice is largely based on.
The name may refer to:
People:
Cecil G. Murgatroyd (1958–2001), long-running satirical political candidate in Australia and New Zealand
Gavin Murgatroyd (born 1969), Namibian cricketer (previously known as Bryan Murgatroyd)
Henry Murgatroyd (1853–1905), English cricketer
Peta Murgatroyd (born 1986), professional dancer
Stephen Murgatroyd (born 1950), writer, broadcaster and consultant
James Murgatroyd (born 1995), Other Warlock and Mid-tier Banterlord
Fictional characters:
The Murgatroyd family, in the Gilbert and Sullivan 1887 opera Ruddigore
Evelyn Murgatroyd, in The Voyage Out, a 1915 novel by Virginia Woolf
General Murgatroyd, in Highland Fling, a 1931 novel by Nancy Mitford
Murgatroyd and Winterbottom, a British comedy act consisting of Ronald Frankau and Tommy Handley
Ambrose Murgatroyd, in the 1941 Preston Sturges movie The Lady Eve
Miss Amy Murgatroyd, in A Murder Is Announced, a 1950 novel by Agatha Christie
Murgatroyd, the first frog on the Moon, in First Boy on the Moon, a 1959 children's novel by Clifford B. Hicks
Murgatroyd, pet rabbit of the eponymous main character in Celia, a 1988 film directed by Ann Turner
Alice Margatroid (corruption of Murgatroyd), character in the Touhou Project series of video games
Murgatroyd, one of Morwen's cats in The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede