Murgatroyd - wikipedia Murgatroyd 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 1944 film Meet the People, whom Snagglepuss ' voice is largely based on. The name may refer to the following : 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 Fictional characters The Murgatroyd family, in the Gilbert and Sullivan 1887 opera Ruddigore The Murgatroyd family of businesspeople, in Fallen London 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, 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 Reginald `` Reggie '' Murgatroid, a character from The X-Files, ( season 11, episode 4 ), portrayed by Darin Morgan Candice Murgatroyd, character in British television programme Ackley Bridge References Jump up ^ Martin, Gary. `` Heavens to Murgatroyd ''. The Phrase Finder. Jump up ^ Campbell, Mike. `` View Surname : Murgatroyd ''. Behind the Name : The Etymology and History of Surnames. Jump up ^ Holroyd. `` The Royds ''. Surname list This page lists people with the surname Murgatroyd. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person 's given name ( s ) to the link. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murgatroyd&oldid=848126283 '' Categories : Surnames English - language surnames Hidden categories : Articles with short description All set index articles Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 29 June 2018, at 23 : 10 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: where does the saying heavens to murgatroyd come from
Answer: the favorite catchphrase of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Snagglepuss