2000
#2,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.33
Uncommon Last name
Masterson
An English occupational surname denoting the son of a master craftsman or one who had achieved master status.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,022 Americans carry the last name Masterson. That puts it at #3,090 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masterson 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 Masterson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,321
Census rank
#3,090
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,356 bearers of the surname Masterson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3090th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masterson
The surname Masterson originated in Ireland, with its earliest known use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Irish personal name "Muireadhach," meaning "lord" or "master." The name was anglicized to "Masterson" and other variations such as "Masson" and "Masson."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Masterson can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by Franciscan scholars in the 17th century. The annals mention a notable figure named Gillamhuire Masterson, who was the chief of Fermanagh in the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Masterson family held lands in County Fermanagh, and their name is associated with several place names in the area, such as Masterson's Bawn and Masterson's Island. The Mastersons were also prominent in County Monaghan, where they were influential landowners and members of the local gentry.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Masterson surname is found in the Register of the Priory of St. Thomas the Martyr, Dublin, which dates back to the 13th century. The register mentions a "William Masterson" who was a tenant of the priory in the year 1278.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Masterson. One such figure was Sir Richard Masterson (c. 1590-1665), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. Another prominent Masterson was Walter Masterson (1804-1901), an Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of Brooklyn, New York, in the mid-19th century.
Other notable Mastersons include:
1. Bartholomew Masterson (c. 1515-1585), an Irish judge and landowner in County Fermanagh.
2. William Masterson (1809-1885), an Irish-American businessman and politician in Philadelphia.
3. Mary Stuart Masterson (born 1966), an American actress known for her roles in films like "Benny & Joon" and "Fried Green Tomatoes."
4. Michael Masterson (1888-1957), an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament.
5. Peter Masterson (1934-2018), an American actor, writer, and director best known for the film "The Trip to Bountiful."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masterson
Among Census respondents with the surname Masterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Masterson 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 Masterson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 10,157
- Two or more races3.7% · 418
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 362
- Black or African American2.2% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masterson
Masterson 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
#2,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,117
+444 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 4.11
Rank movement Down 145 places
2020
#3,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,356
-761 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,816 | 11,673 | 4.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,961 | 12,117 | 4.11 | +444 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 145 places |
| 2020 | #3,090 | 11,356 | 3.80 | -761 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 129 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 Masterson 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 | #2,961 | #3,090 | -4.4% |
| Count | 12,117 | 11,356 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.11 | 3.80 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masterson bearers went from 12,117 to 11,356 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,961 to #3,090.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Masterson
FAQ
Masterson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masterson?
Name Census estimates that about 13,022 living Americans carry the surname Masterson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,321 residents.
How common is Masterson?
Masterson ranks #3,090 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,356 people with the surname Masterson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,022), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Masterson.
Has Masterson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masterson went from 12,117 recorded bearers to 11,356. That is a decrease of 761 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,961 to #3,090.
What does the Census say about the background of Masterson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Masterson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (10,157 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masterson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Masterson (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 Masterson mean?
An English occupational surname denoting the son of a master craftsman or one who had achieved master status. 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 Masterson (3.80 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 Americans have the surname Masterson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.