Contents [hide]

Masterson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Masterson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

In the Scotland of ancient times, Masterson was a name for a cleric. The Middle Gaelic word magisder is borrowed from the Latin magister. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac a Mhaighstir, which means son of the Master. 1

Early Origins of the Masterson family

The surname Masterson was first found in Ardgour (Scottish Gaelic: Ard Ghobhar, meaning Height of the goats), where they were anciently derived from members of the Clan MacInnes, who changed their name.

"This surname is now found mainly in the shires of Dumfries and Wigtown, but was also the name of a sept in Ardgour traditionally said to have been dispossessed by Macleans in the fifteenth century." 1

Early History of the Masterson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Masterson research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1433, 1498, 1582 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Masterson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Masterson Spelling Variations

Medieval spelling was at best an intuitive process, and translation between Gaelic and English was no more effective. These factors caused an enormous number of spelling variations in Dalriadan names. In fact, it was not uncommon to see a father and son who spelled their name differently. Over the years, Masterson has been spelled MacMaster, McMaster, M'Master, Mac a' Mhaighstir (Gaelic) and many more.

Early Notables of the Masterson family

More information is included under the topic Early Masterson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Masterson Ranking

In the United States, the name Masterson is the 3,122^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Masterson family to Ireland

Some of the Masterson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Masterson migration to the United States +

The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Masterson arrived in North America very early:

Masterson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Masterson and her husband settled in Plymouth in 1629
Mary, Nathaniel, Richard, and Sarah Masterson, who settled in Plymouth 1629
Richard Masterson, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1629 3
Elizabeth Masterson, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 3
Eliz Masterson, who landed in Virginia in 1658 3

Masterson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Owen Masterson, who landed in New York in 1801 3
Edward Masterson, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
Ann Masterson, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 3
Hugh Masterson, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 3
Charles Masterson, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Masterson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Masterson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Bridget Masterson, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Emigrant" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in October 1847 4
Miss. Catherine Masterson, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Emigrant" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in October 1847 5
Mr. Frank Masterson, aged 68 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Tamarac" departing 26th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 11th July 1847 but he died on board 6
Mr. James Masterson who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Corea" departing 2nd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 14th August 1847 but he died on board 6

Masterson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Masterson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret Masterson, (b. 1781), aged 37, Irish house maid who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for 7 years for passing forged notes, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1849 7
Mr. Edward Masterson, (b. 1759), aged 69, Irish black smith who was convicted in County Mayo, Ireland for life for theft, transported aboard the "Borodino" on 11th February 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Patrick Masterson, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9

Masterson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Masterson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Masterson, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Masterson (post 1700) +

William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (1853-1921), Canadian-born, American buffalo hunter, U.S. Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, U.S. Marshal, and sports editor and columnist for a New York newspaper
Rodney Gregory "Rod" Masterson Jr., (1945-2013), American actor of film and television
Ed Masterson (1852-1878), Canadian-born, American lawman and the brother of Bat Masterson and James Masterson, killed by gunfire while trying to disarm a drunken cowboy
Peter Masterson (b. 1934), American Daytime Emmy Award nominated actor, director, producer and writer
Chase Masterson (b. 1963), born Christianne Carafano, an American actress, singer and voice actor, Best Feature Film Producer of 2008
James "Jim" Masterson (1855-1895), Canadian-born, American lawman of the American West, brother of Bat Masterson and Ed Masterson
Christopher Kennedy Masterson (b. 1980), American Young Star Award winning actor known best for his role as Francis on Malcolm in the Middle
Mary Stuart Masterson (b. 1966), American film, stage and television actor and director whose first film appearance was in The Stepford Wives (1975) at the age of eight
Robert Patrick "Bob" Masterson (1915-1994), American NFL football wide receiver
Bernard E. "Bernie" Masterson (1911-1963), American college football player and coach
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Masterson family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Kleber S. Masterson, American Lieutenant working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 10
Mr. Cleburne E. Carl Masterson, American Pharmacist's Mate First Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 10

The Masterson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: MacAonghais a-rithist
Motto Translation: Again MacInnes

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 41)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 42)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 85)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Borodino
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html