A Scottish and English surname, the Webster family name comes from the Old English term of ‘webbestre’ and the Middle English term of ‘webber’ which both refer to a weaver. The name also came from the name ‘Webb’.

A spelling variation for Webster is Webstere.

Webster families in Scotland are chiefly along the eastern coast, especially in Angus, Aberdeenshire and Banffshire. In England the Webster surname is located in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire counties. Many Webster individuals also resettled in the late 19th century in Australia and Canada.

Within the United States Webster families primarily live in Pennsylvania, New York, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio, Washington, Michigan, Maine, New Hampshire, Maryland and Texas.

Famous: Nicholas Webster (TV and film director), Thomas Webster (artist from England), Lliam Webster (ice hockey player from Australia), John Webster (17th century playwright from England), Harold Tucker Webster (cartoonist for newspapers), Martell Webster (professional basketball player), Mark Webster (journalist in England) and Noah Webster (dictionary developer).