The name comes from a residence called Matsudono, a pine palace built in Kyoto by the founder of the house, Motofusa MATSUDONO, who was the second son of Fujiwara no Tadamichi, and a direct descendant of the Northern House of the Fujiwara clan.
藤原氏藤原北家の嫡流の藤原忠通の次男、松殿基房が祖で、京都に松殿と呼ばれる屋敷を構えた事が家名の由来。