# McMaster (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mcmaster/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Scottish Gaelic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,744 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,184 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 45,781 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.8% (6,623 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Maighstir or Mac Á Mhaighstir (“son of the master”), from maighstir (“master”). By surface analysis, Mc- + master.

## Who carries it

Share of people named McMaster in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named McMaster in the United States.

## People named McMaster

- H. R. McMaster, 26th United States National Security Advisor
- William H. McMaster, American politician (1877-1968)
- John Bach McMaster, American historian (1852-1932)

## Similar surnames

MacMaster, McComas, McMasters, McKenzie, McKnight, McGinnis, Mackenzie, Magnuson, McInnis, McMichael, Messenger, Mickens.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.