Maston
An uncommon masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Old English words "maest" and "ton" meaning "great town".
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the first name Maston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Maston today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Maston births was 1922 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Maston. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
114
~ 1 in 3,006,617 Americans
Peak year
1922
13 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,630
Tracked since 1906
Census
Maston in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 230 people with the first name Maston, which placed it at #35,134 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#35,134
National first-name rank
People counted
230
230 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maston
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maston is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Maston described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Maston at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 169
- Black or African American9.1% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.1% · 21
- Two or more races4.3% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Maston: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Maston from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 47 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Maston by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Maston during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Maston
The name Maston is believed to have originated from the Old English word "mæst," which means "mast" or "pole." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as an occupational surname for someone who worked with masts or poles, perhaps in the shipbuilding industry or as a surveyor.
In the early medieval period, the name was primarily found in regions of England, particularly in areas with strong maritime traditions or forestry industries where masts and poles were essential resources. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries in various legal documents and parish records.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Maston was Sir Richard Maston, a prominent English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. He was renowned for his bravery and skill on the battlefield, and his exploits were documented in several contemporary chronicles.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named William Maston (c. 1525-1591) gained recognition as a skilled architect and stonemason. He was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several churches and notable buildings in London, including the iconic St. Giles-without-Cripplegate Church.
During the 17th century, the name Maston was associated with the English philosopher and scientist Robert Maston (1618-1673). He made significant contributions to the field of optics and is credited with developing one of the earliest compound microscopes, which paved the way for future advancements in microscopy.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named John Maston (1742-1819) emerged as a successful merchant and philanthropist. He amassed a considerable fortune through his trading ventures and is remembered for his philanthropic efforts, particularly his support for the establishment of several schools and hospitals in his hometown.
Another notable individual with the name Maston was the American engineer and science fiction author Willy Maston (1892-1975). He is best known for his pioneering work in rocket propulsion systems and his influential science fiction novels that explored the possibilities of space exploration.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Maston, showcasing its enduring presence across various eras and fields, from warfare and architecture to science and literature.
People
Maston + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Maston as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Maston: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Maston?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 114 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Maston going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,006,617 US residents.
Is Maston a common name?
We classify Maston as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 235 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Maston most popular?
The single biggest year for Maston was 1922, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Maston is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Maston in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 230 people with the name Maston, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #35,134 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Maston in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Maston?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Maston appears almost entirely male. Of the 226 people counted with this name, 99.1% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Maston?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Maston is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Maston most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Maston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (169 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Maston in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Maston a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Maston in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Maston still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Maston in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Maston can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Maston?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.