Find out how popular the last name McMaster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McMaster.

McMaster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McMaster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McMaster in America

McMaster is the 5184th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McMaster surname appeared 6,744 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname McMaster.

We can also compare 2010 data for McMaster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McMaster

The surname McMaster originated in Scotland in the 13th century. It is a variant of the Gaelic name MacMastair, meaning "son of the master". The name likely originated in the Scottish Highlands, where the prefix "Mac" was commonly used to denote a patronymic surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the McMaster surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Gillemor M'Mastre", suggesting that the name was already established by this time.

The McMaster surname can also be traced back to the Clan MacMaster, a Scottish clan that held lands in Argyllshire and the Isle of Arran. The clan's progenitor is believed to have been a man named Maistre, who lived in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the McMaster name appeared in the Records of the Privy Council of Scotland, which documented legal proceedings and government affairs. One notable figure was John McMaster, who was granted a charter for lands in Ayrshire in 1536.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the McMaster surname. One of the earliest was Sir John McMaster (c. 1350-1420), a Scottish knight who fought in the Battle of Otterburn in 1388. Another was Gilbert McMaster (1778-1854), a Scottish-born American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Other notable McMasters include:

1. Joseph McMaster (1824-1886), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
2. Erasmus Darwin McMaster (1837-1900), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri.
3. William McMaster (1811-1887), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Canadian Bank of Commerce.
4. John Bach McMaster (1852-1932), an American historian and professor who wrote extensively on the history of the United States.
5. William Muir McMaster (1799-1880), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.

The McMaster surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McMaster Castle in Ayrshire and the village of McMaster in Dumfries and Galloway.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McMaster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McMaster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McMaster was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McMaster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McMaster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McMaster, please contact us.

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