NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcmaster

A Scottish occupational surname referring to the son of a master craftsman or one who held a high office.

In the 1881 census there were 1,712 people recorded with the Mcmaster surname, ranking it #2,518 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,509, ranked #2,636, down from #2,518 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kilmallie and Ardgour, Govan Combination and Inch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Paisley Ferguslie, Greenock Town Centre and East Central and West Neilston and Uplawmoor.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcmaster is 2,520 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.6%.

1881 census count

1,712

Ranked #2,518

Modern count

2,509

2016, ranked #2,636

Peak year

2014

2,520 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcmaster had 1,712 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,518 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,509 in 2016, ranked #2,636.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,911 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mcmaster surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mcmaster surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mcmaster surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Mcmaster over time

The 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 1,244 #2,300
1861 historical 1,396 #2,054
1881 historical 1,712 #2,518
1891 historical 1,791 #2,557
1901 historical 1,911 #2,761
1911 historical 604 #6,806
1997 modern 2,227 #2,784
1998 modern 2,311 #2,794
1999 modern 2,324 #2,800
2000 modern 2,316 #2,787
2001 modern 2,271 #2,781
2002 modern 2,369 #2,736
2003 modern 2,313 #2,744
2004 modern 2,321 #2,730
2005 modern 2,303 #2,719
2006 modern 2,323 #2,703
2007 modern 2,352 #2,704
2008 modern 2,384 #2,686
2009 modern 2,440 #2,697
2010 modern 2,514 #2,685
2011 modern 2,475 #2,695
2012 modern 2,397 #2,713
2013 modern 2,470 #2,697
2014 modern 2,520 #2,660
2015 modern 2,514 #2,642
2016 modern 2,509 #2,636

Geography

Back to top

Where Mcmasters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kilmallie and Ardgour, Govan Combination, Inch, Ardnamurchan and Greenock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Paisley Ferguslie, Greenock Town Centre and East Central, West Neilston and Uplawmoor, South Thornliebank and Woodfarm and Greenock East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Kilmallie and Ardgour Inverness
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Inch Wigtown
4 Ardnamurchan Argyll
5 Greenock Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Paisley Ferguslie Renfrewshire
2 Greenock Town Centre and East Central Inverclyde
3 West Neilston and Uplawmoor East Renfrewshire
4 South Thornliebank and Woodfarm East Renfrewshire
5 Greenock East Inverclyde

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Mcmaster

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mcmaster surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Mcmaster

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mcmaster, 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

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Mcmaster surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mcmaster household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Mcmaster is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcmaster is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mcmaster falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mcmaster is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mcmaster, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of 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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Mcmaster families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcmaster surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 53 Mcmasters recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.75x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 53 3.75x
Yorkshire 13 1.10x
Northumberland 12 6.78x
Essex 8 3.41x
Cumberland 6 5.86x
Kent 6 1.48x
Devon 5 2.02x
Middlesex 4 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 3 3.98x
Monmouthshire 3 3.49x
Glamorgan 2 0.97x
Lanarkshire 2 0.52x
Warwickshire 2 0.67x
Durham 1 0.28x
Renfrewshire 1 1.08x
Suffolk 1 0.69x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirkdale in Lancashire leads with 29 Mcmasters recorded in 1881 and an index of 122.11x.

Place Total Index
Kirkdale 29 122.11x
Toxteth Park 12 25.10x
Everton 10 22.22x
Barking 8 116.45x
Greenwich 6 31.68x
Middlesbrough 6 39.09x
Newcastle On Tyne St 6 65.36x
Byker 5 57.14x
Tavistock 5 177.31x
Workington 5 85.18x
Abergavenny 3 93.17x
Headingley Cum Burley 3 39.53x
Scarborough 3 28.01x
St Michael Cambridge 3 1363.64x
Barony 2 2.05x
Swansea Town 2 11.77x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 8.92x
Broughton In Salford 1 7.75x
Caldewgate 1 17.83x
Edgbaston 1 10.75x
Ipswich St Stephen 1 400.00x
Kenilworth 1 59.17x
Leeds 1 1.50x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 9.46x
Poplar London 1 4.45x
St Pancras London 1 1.04x
Throston 1 147.06x
West Greenock 1 6.04x
Whitechapel London 1 8.53x
Willesden 1 8.91x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mcmaster surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mcmaster surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
James 8
William 7
John 5
George 4
Joseph 4
Samuel 4
Thomas 4
David 3
Henry 3
Alexander 2
Alexr 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Chas. 1
Hugh 1
Peter 1
Robert 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Mcmaster surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcmaster surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,712 people were recorded with the Mcmaster surname. That placed it at #2,518 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcmaster surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,509 in 2016. That gives Mcmaster a modern rank of #2,636.

What does the Mcmaster surname mean?

A Scottish occupational surname referring to the son of a master craftsman or one who held a high office.

What does the Mcmaster map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mcmaster bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

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.