Contents [hide]

McMaster History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

McMaster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of McMaster

What does the name McMaster mean?

The story of the name McMaster reaches back through Scottish history to the kingdom of Dalriada. The name evolved for a person who worked as 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 McMaster family

The surname McMaster 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 McMaster family

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

McMaster Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are the result of the medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English. Many spelling variations of McMaster have been recorded over the years, including MacMaster, McMaster, M'Master, Mac a' Mhaighstir (Gaelic) and many more.

Early Notables of the McMaster family

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

McMaster Ranking

the United States, the name McMaster is the 4,244^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2

Migration of the McMaster family to Ireland

Some of the McMaster 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.

McMaster migration to the United States +

Numerous Scottish settlers settled along the east coast of the colonies that would become the United States and Canada. Others traveled to the open country of the west. At the time of the American War of Independence, some remained in the United States, while those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The highland games and Clan societies that sprang up across North America in the 20th century have helped many Scots to recover parts of their lost traditions. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first McMasters to arrive in North America:

McMaster Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James McMaster, who sailed to Boston in 1766
George McMaster, who sailed to Charles Town South Carolina in 1772
George McMaster, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 3
Hugh McMaster, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 3
Martha McMaster, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McMaster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel McMaster, who arrived in America in 1807 3
Flora McMaster, who arrived in New York in 1833 3
John McMaster, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1836 3
William McMaster, who arrived in New York in 1842 3
David McMaster, who landed in America in 1850 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McMaster migration to Canada +

McMaster Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. James McMaster U.E. born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA who settled in St. Patrick, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he died in 1804 4
John McMaster was a Loyalist who settled in Nova Scotia in 1784

McMaster Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Charles McMaster migrated from Bute to Hull Twp. in Ottawa County Ontario in about 1832
John McMaster, who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833
Anne McMaster, aged 20, who landed in Quebec in 1834
James McMaster, aged 18, who landed in Quebec in 1834
Miss. Jane McMaster, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Julius Caesar" departing 13th July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 5th September 1847 but she died on board 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McMaster migration to Australia +

McMaster Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John McMaster (aged 20) arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Gomelza"
Donald McMaster, aged 27, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
Hugh McMaster, aged 21, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
Hugh McMaster, aged 23, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
John McMaster, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McMaster 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:

McMaster Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Angus McMaster, aged 36, a ploughman, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blenheim" in 1840
Mr. James McMaster, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1864 6
Mrs. McMaster, Scottish settler with 2 children travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1864 6
Charles McMaster, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Armstrong" in 1865
Jane McMaster, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Armstrong" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name McMaster (post 1700) +

Herbert Raymond "H.R." McMaster (b. 1962), American United States Army lieutenant general, 26th National Security Advisor (2017-)
William Henry McMaster (1877-1968), the tenth Governor of South Dakota
Gerald R. McMaster (b. 1953), American Plains Cree and Blackfoot curator, artist, and author
Sherman McMaster (1853-1892), American outlaw turned lawman, who was one of the six men involved in the Earp vendetta ride
Henry Dargan McMaster (b. 1947), South Carolina's Republican attorney general
John B McMaster (1852-1932), American historian
John McMaster (b. 1955), former Scottish professional footballer
Gordon James McMaster (1960-1997), Scottish Politician, member of the British House of Commons
Cyril "Bill" McMaster OAM (1930-2025), Australian rules footballer and a coach in the Victorian Football League (1971-1972)
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
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. 88)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html