MARSTERS
The surname Marsters is of English provenance and its earliest attestation dates to the thirteenth century, within the English counties of the British Isles. The recorded form Hubert Mastres appears in the “Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire” in 1279, during the reign of King Edward I.
Its etymology should be recognised as an occupational name, derived from the Middle English word maister, which in turn comes from the Old French maistre and the Latin magister. In contemporary usage the term referred to an individual who was skilled or accomplished in a particular craft, or who exercised supervisory or managerial functions within a household or estate.
In the early medieval period the surname was frequently borne by substantial freeholders, or franklins, who possessed labourers working their land. Within Scotland the eldest sons of barons were commonly styled with this patronymic, and the name may also have been adopted by a servant employed in the household of such an eldest son.
The suffix s in Marsters has a dual function. It may signify “servant at the master’s house”, a relationship exemplified by the name: William atte Maystres (Staffordshire, 1327). Alternatively, it functions as a reduced form of the possessive, suggesting a patronymic origin meaning “son of Master”. This dual interpretation is similarly reflected in the variations of the name Masters, Mairston, and Ma(r)sterson, the last variant characterised by a dialectal introduction of the initial r.
Among the earliest recorded instances of the surname in England is the marriage of Ursula Marsters and Henry Burton on 30 November 1647 at St. Matthew’s, Friday Street, London. In the eighteenth century, John Marsters married Elizabeth Mesnard on 22 February 1747 at St. George Mayfair, Westminster. The nineteenth century saw the christening of Edwin, son of Charles Marsters, on 13 May 1832 at St. Peter’s, Leeds, Yorkshire.
In contemporary times inhabitants of the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States generally retain the spelling Marsters. Although the surname remains uncommon, it continues to be identified with its occupational heritage and its traces in medieval legal documents.
Typical given names associated with the Marsters surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Philip
- Stanley
- Stephen
- Steven
Female
- Anne
- Christine
- Denise
- Diane
- Emma
- Hannah
- John
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
- Suzanne
- Veronica
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Marsters in...
Braille
⠍⠁⠗⠎⠞⠑⠗⠎
Morse
--.-.-....-..-....
Semaphore
There are approximately 346 people named Marsters in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Marsters.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Marsters
- William Marsters - Settler of Palmerston Island (1831 to 1899)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.