MASTERTON
The surname Masterton has its roots in the British Isles, more specifically in Scotland. It is a locational name derived from one or more places bearing the same designation within the country.
According to historical records the name originates from the place called Masterton in East Lothian. The toponym is a combination of the Old English word mæst—meaning “mast”, that is, a tall pole or spar used on a ship—and the common suffix tun, meaning “enclosure” or “settlement”. Consequently the surname would have originally identified someone who lived near or worked with masts, or simply someone who hailed from the settlement of Masterton.
Another tradition links the surname to a village in Fife that was once held by a tenant referred to in the Latinised form of Magister Ailricus. In this context the prefix maister is the Old Scottish title for a master, typically the eldest son of a baron, while tune again denotes a village or settlement. The Lands of Masterton in Fife were named after a so‑called “magister” after whom the holdings were identified. The earliest documented spelling of the name appears in the year 1296 as William de Mastetone in the public records of the reign of King Edward I.
In later centuries the name continued to appear in various legal and ecclesiastical notices. For instance, a Duncan de Maysterton is recorded as witnessing the homage of Duncan, Earl of Fife, to the abbot of Dunfermline in 1316. During the fifteenth century a Sir Thomas Masterton served as a Canon of Cambuskenneth in 1476, and members of the Masterton family were recognised as a family of note in the Dunfermline district prior to the Reformation.
The surname is associated with Christian religious practices and the language of Gaelic, reflecting the cultural context of the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands. Its Celtic origins place it within the broader family of surnames that evolved from geographic features and settlements across the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Masterton surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- George
- Ian
- James
- John
- Paul
- Robert
- Scott
- William
Female
- Angela
- Claire
- Diane
- Elizabeth
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Joan
- Julie
- Karen
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
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 Masterton in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 1,288 people named Masterton in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,058th most common surname in Britain. Around 20 in a million people in Britain are named Masterton.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Masterton
- Graham Masterton - Writer
- Paul Masterton - Scottish politician
- Steven Masterton - Scottish football player
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.