2000
#45,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 448
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Marsters
An English surname derived from a variant of the occupation "marshaler".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 561 Americans carry the last name Marsters. That puts it at #46,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 610,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Marsters surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Marsters with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
561
1 in 610,970
Census rank
#46,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
489
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 489 bearers of the surname Marsters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Marsters, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Marsters
The surname Marsters originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English word "mære," meaning "famous" or "renowned," combined with the suffix "-ster," indicating an occupation or profession. The name likely referred to a person who was a messenger or herald, responsible for delivering important news or proclamations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Marester." This reference suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name was sometimes spelled as "Marster" or "Marstere," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. The earliest known bearer of the name was Robert Marster, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.
During the medieval period, the Marsters family was particularly prominent in the counties of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. One notable figure was John Marsters, a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire, who lived in the late 14th century.
As the name spread across England, it underwent further variations in spelling, including "Marstar," "Marstare," and "Marsters." In the 16th century, the spelling "Marsters" became more widely adopted and has remained the predominant form to this day.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Marsters was Sir John Marsters (1524-1596), a prominent English lawyer and member of the Privy Council during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the legal and political affairs of the time.
Another notable figure was Captain Richard Marsters (1658-1732), a renowned English privateer and buccaneer who operated in the Caribbean during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His exploits were widely documented, and he amassed considerable wealth through his various raids and captures.
In the literary world, the name Marsters gained recognition through the works of Charles Dickens. One of the characters in his novel "Oliver Twist" was a member of the Marsters family, reflecting the author's familiarity with the surname.
Other notable bearers of the name include Sir William Marsters (1772-1853), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Sir John Marsters (1821-1904), a prominent British politician and Member of Parliament in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Marsters
Among Census respondents with the surname Marsters, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Marsters bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Marsters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 423
- Two or more races6.3% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 21
- Black or African American1.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Marsters
Marsters appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#46,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 458
+10 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 1,409 places
2020
#46,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 489
+31 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,078 | 448 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,487 | 458 | 0.16 | +10 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 1,409 places |
| 2020 | #46,865 | 489 | 0.16 | +31 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 378 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Marsters surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #46,487 | #46,865 | -0.8% |
| Count | 458 | 489 | 6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.16 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Marsters bearers went from 458 to 489 (+6.8% change). The surname moved down 378 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,487 to #46,865.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Marsters
FAQ
Marsters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Marsters?
Name Census estimates that about 561 living Americans carry the surname Marsters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 610,970 residents.
How common is Marsters?
Marsters ranks #46,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 489 people with the surname Marsters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (561), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Marsters.
Has Marsters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Marsters went from 458 recorded bearers to 489. That is an increase of 31 (+6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #46,487 to #46,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Marsters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Marsters, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Marsters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (423 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Marsters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (6.3%), Hispanic (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Marsters (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Marsters mean?
An English surname derived from a variant of the occupation "marshaler". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Marsters (0.16 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Marsters?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Marsters at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.