2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Masterjohn
A surname referring to an expert or master craftsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Masterjohn. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masterjohn 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Masterjohn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masterjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masterjohn
The surname MASTERJOHN is of English origin, appearing in records as early as the 13th century. It is derived from the medieval occupation of a master craftsman or teacher, combined with the personal name John. The name likely originated in areas where skilled craftsmen and educators were prevalent, such as cities and towns with trade guilds.
In the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, there is a record of a Hugo Mastersone, thought to be one of the earliest references to the name. This spelling variation suggests the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for a master's son or apprentice.
The MASTERJOHN surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, indicating its presence in that region during the late 13th century. In these early records, the name is sometimes spelled as Masterjone or Masteriohn, reflecting the evolving nature of surnames during that period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the MASTERJOHN surname is William Masterjohn, who was born around 1450 in Somerset, England. He is mentioned in local parish records as a skilled carpenter and builder.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the writings of the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. In his play "The Taming of the Shrew," there is a character named Nathaniel Masterjohn, likely a reference to a contemporary figure with that surname.
Another notable individual with the MASTERJOHN surname is John Masterjohn, a merchant and landowner who lived in Gloucestershire, England, in the late 17th century. He was born in 1642 and is recorded as owning substantial properties and businesses in the region.
During the 18th century, the name MASTERJOHN gained prominence in the literary world with the writer and critic Samuel Masterjohn, born in 1712 in London. He was known for his essays and critiques of contemporary literature and played a significant role in the intellectual circles of his time.
In the 19th century, the MASTERJOHN surname was associated with the arts and education. Richard Masterjohn, born in 1825 in Yorkshire, was a renowned painter and art instructor who taught at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts in London.
As the MASTERJOHN surname spread across England and beyond, it became linked to various professions and occupations, reflecting its historical roots as a name associated with skilled trades and education.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masterjohn
Among Census respondents with the surname Masterjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Masterjohn 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 Masterjohn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 105
- Black or African American5.1% · 6
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masterjohn
Masterjohn 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-9 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,068 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-8 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,558 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 15,068 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 9,558 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 Masterjohn 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 | #134,712 | #144,270 | -7.1% |
| Count | 125 | 117 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masterjohn bearers went from 125 to 117 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 9,558 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #144,270.
FAQ
Masterjohn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masterjohn?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Masterjohn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Masterjohn?
Masterjohn ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Masterjohn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Masterjohn.
Has Masterjohn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masterjohn went from 125 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Masterjohn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masterjohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (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 Masterjohn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masterjohn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (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 Masterjohn (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 Masterjohn mean?
A surname referring to an expert or master craftsman. 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 Masterjohn (0.04 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 have the last name Masterjohn?
See how many Americans have the surname Masterjohn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.