Masters
Likely a surname for someone connected with “the master” or, in some cases, an English form of Gaelic Mac Master.
The #1,524 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,120 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most of the evidence points to an occupational or status-based surname from Middle English maister, Old French maistre, and Latin magister, meaning “master,” “teacher,” or “one in authority.” One historical source glosses it as “the Master’s (son),” while another treats it as a local Norman-style surname. In Scotland and Ireland, it can also represent a shortened form of Gaelic Mac Master, with the Mac dropped in English usage.
History
The name appears in medieval English records in forms such as Robert de Mosters, and it also turns up in early English spellings that reflect the title “master.” In parts of Scotland and Ireland, it may have developed as an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Master, so the surname can have more than one origin line. Today Masters is found in England, Scotland, Ireland, and across the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Masters also lies behind words like “masterful” and “schoolmaster.”
From the historical record
“MASTERS (A.-Fr.-Lat.) the Master's (Son) MASTERSON (A.-Fr.-Lat.) the Master's Son [M.E; maister, O.Ft. maistre, Lat. magister]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)