UK surname
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "town on the marsh or boggy land".
In the 1881 census there were 239 people recorded with the Maston surname, ranking it #11,446 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 75, ranked #33,377, down from #11,446 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Otley, Lewisham and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maston is 458 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 68.6%.
1881 census count
239
Ranked #11,446
Modern count
75
2016, ranked #33,377
Peak year
1861
458 bearers
Map years
6
1851 to 1911
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Maston surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Maston surname density by area, 1881 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 113 | #15,815 |
| 1861 | historical | 458 | #5,668 |
| 1881 | historical | 239 | #11,446 |
| 1891 | historical | 279 | #11,698 |
| 1901 | historical | 165 | #17,085 |
| 1911 | historical | 149 | #17,937 |
| 1997 | modern | 81 | #29,436 |
| 1998 | modern | 84 | #29,537 |
| 1999 | modern | 79 | #30,243 |
| 2000 | modern | 73 | #30,881 |
| 2001 | modern | 69 | #31,098 |
| 2002 | modern | 68 | #31,626 |
| 2003 | modern | 68 | #31,689 |
| 2004 | modern | 69 | #31,784 |
| 2005 | modern | 69 | #32,007 |
| 2006 | modern | 66 | #32,629 |
| 2007 | modern | 63 | #33,243 |
| 2008 | modern | 69 | #32,962 |
| 2009 | modern | 74 | #32,835 |
| 2010 | modern | 75 | #33,081 |
| 2011 | modern | 73 | #33,230 |
| 2012 | modern | 72 | #33,502 |
| 2013 | modern | 73 | #33,557 |
| 2014 | modern | 75 | #33,473 |
| 2015 | modern | 77 | #33,272 |
| 2016 | modern | 75 | #33,377 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Otley, Lewisham, St Pancras, Edinburgh and St Dunstan Stepney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Otley | Yorkshire, West Riding |
| 2 | Lewisham | London (South Districts) |
| 3 | St Pancras | London (North Districts) |
| 4 | Edinburgh | Edinburgh |
| 5 | St Dunstan Stepney | London (East Districts) |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Maston surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Maston, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Maston surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Maston household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Maston is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Maston is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Maston, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname MASTON is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the place name "Marston" or one of its variant spellings, such as "Merston" or "Marton." These place names are found in several counties across England, including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire.
The name MASTON is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "mere," meaning a lake or pool, and "tun," meaning a farm or estate. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a settlement or farmstead located near a lake or body of water. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is written as "Merstone" and "Merstune."
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the MASTON surname was William de Marston, who lived in the 13th century and is mentioned in records from Lincolnshire. In the 14th century, a John de Merston is recorded as holding lands in Staffordshire. During the same period, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Marston," "Merston," and "Merstun," across various county records and tax rolls.
Notable individuals with the MASTON surname include:
1. Thomas Maston (c. 1555 - 1619), an English clergyman and author. 2. William Maston (1605 - 1672), an English colonist who settled in New England in the 17th century. 3. John Maston (1670 - 1745), an English landowner and magistrate in Warwickshire. 4. Elizabeth Maston (1734 - 1812), a British poet and writer from Gloucestershire. 5. Sir George Maston (1805 - 1880), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire.
Over the centuries, the MASTON surname has spread throughout England and beyond, with various branches establishing themselves in different regions. Some families adopted alternative spellings, such as "Marston" or "Merston," while others retained the original MASTON form.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maston surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 73 Mastons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.15x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire | 73 | 3.15x |
| Kent | 24 | 3.00x |
| Middlesex | 22 | 0.94x |
| Lancashire | 19 | 0.68x |
| Warwickshire | 15 | 2.54x |
| Durham | 12 | 1.72x |
| Devon | 9 | 1.85x |
| Northumberland | 8 | 2.30x |
| Staffordshire | 8 | 1.01x |
| Lincolnshire | 7 | 1.87x |
| Surrey | 7 | 0.61x |
| Wiltshire | 7 | 3.38x |
| Northamptonshire | 6 | 2.73x |
| Berwickshire | 5 | 17.64x |
| Lanarkshire | 4 | 0.53x |
| Midlothian | 4 | 1.28x |
| Derbyshire | 2 | 0.55x |
| Buteshire | 1 | 7.05x |
| Channel Islands | 1 | 1.44x |
| Cheshire | 1 | 0.19x |
| Dunbartonshire | 1 | 1.59x |
| Hampshire | 1 | 0.21x |
| Hertfordshire | 1 | 0.62x |
| Leicestershire | 1 | 0.39x |
| Suffolk | 1 | 0.35x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Otley in Yorkshire leads with 50 Mastons recorded in 1881 and an index of 888.10x.
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Maston surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Mary | 14 |
| Sarah | 9 |
| Ann | 4 |
| Annie | 4 |
| Elizabeth | 4 |
| Emily | 4 |
| Emma | 4 |
| Jane | 4 |
| Martha | 4 |
| Eliza | 3 |
| Hannah | 3 |
| Isabella | 3 |
| Maria | 3 |
| Edith | 2 |
| Eleanor | 2 |
| Ellen | 2 |
| Florence | 2 |
| Frances | 2 |
| Harriet | 2 |
| Harriett | 2 |
| Lily | 2 |
| Maud | 2 |
| Nancy | 2 |
| Rose | 2 |
| Ada | 1 |
| Agnes | 1 |
| Amy | 1 |
| Anne | 1 |
| Catherine | 1 |
| Cecil | 1 |
| Elenor | 1 |
| Eliz. | 1 |
| Elizath. | 1 |
| Elizth. | 1 |
| Esther | 1 |
| Ethel | 1 |
| Francis | 1 |
| Hariett | 1 |
| Hettie | 1 |
| Jenny | 1 |
| Kate | 1 |
| Lizzie | 1 |
| Louisa | 1 |
| Lucy | 1 |
| Magdaline | 1 |
| Margaret | 1 |
| Margret | 1 |
| Prudence | 1 |
| Rhoda | 1 |
| Susanna | 1 |
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Maston surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| John | 20 |
| William | 17 |
| James | 10 |
| Thomas | 9 |
| George | 8 |
| Arthur | 4 |
| Henry | 4 |
| Edward | 3 |
| Harry | 3 |
| Joseph | 3 |
| Samuel | 3 |
| Alfred | 2 |
| Charles | 2 |
| Fred | 2 |
| Frederick | 2 |
| Beckwith | 1 |
| Benjamin | 1 |
| Cuthbert | 1 |
| Dallas | 1 |
| Edwin | 1 |
| Fredk. | 1 |
| Geo.H. | 1 |
| Haringdon | 1 |
| Harrold | 1 |
| Herbert | 1 |
| Jas. | 1 |
| Jno. | 1 |
| Newland | 1 |
| Patrick | 1 |
| Peter | 1 |
| Rhodes | 1 |
| Richard | 1 |
| Sam. | 1 |
| Thos. | 1 |
| Thos.H. | 1 |
| Willie | 1 |
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Maston households.
FAQ
In 1881, 239 people were recorded with the Maston surname. That placed it at #11,446 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 75 in 2016. That gives Maston a modern rank of #33,377.
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "town on the marsh or boggy land".
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Maston bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.