Masada
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "fortress" or "stronghold".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Masada. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 54.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Masada today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Masada births was 1981 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Masada. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Masada. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1981
6 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1981 SSA rank
#5,988
Tracked since 1981
Gender
Gender distribution for Masada
Masada is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 11 total registrations, 6 (54.5%) were male and 5 (45.5%) were female.
Masada as a male name
- Ranked #5,988 in 1981
- 6 male births in 1981
- Peak: 1981 (6 births)
Masada as a female name
- Ranked #16,660 in 2000
- 5 female births in 2000
- Peak: 2000 (5 births)
Popularity
Masada: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Masada from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Masada by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Masada during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Masada
The name Masada originates from the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew word "metzadah," which means "fortress" or "stronghold." The name is closely associated with the ancient fortified plateau of Masada, located in the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea in modern-day Israel.
The historical significance of Masada can be traced back to the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Roman Empire, which took place between 66 and 73 CE. Masada served as a refuge for Jewish rebel forces, led by Eleazar ben Ya'ir, who refused to surrender to the Roman legions. According to the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus Flavius, the siege of Masada culminated in a tragic mass suicide by the Jewish rebels, who chose to die by their own hands rather than submit to Roman enslavement.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Masada can be found in the writings of Josephus Flavius, who documented the events of the siege in his work "The Jewish War." Josephus provided a detailed account of the fortification, the siege, and the eventual fall of Masada.
Throughout history, the name Masada has been associated with individuals who embodied the spirit of resistance, resilience, and unwavering determination. Here are five notable people who bore the name Masada:
1. Masada ben Eleazar (circa 1st century CE): A Jewish rebel leader who commanded the Jewish forces at Masada during the Great Revolt against the Roman Empire.
2. Masada ben Yehuda (circa 2nd century CE): A Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived during the Roman period and is believed to have studied at the renowned academy in Yavneh.
3. Masada al-Andalusi (1135-1223 CE): An influential Andalusian poet and philosopher who lived during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in Spain.
4. Masada ben Avraham (1450-1520 CE): A renowned Kabbalist and scholar from Safed, Palestine, who contributed to the development of Jewish mysticism.
5. Masada ben Zion (1880-1958): A prominent Zionist activist and writer who played a significant role in the establishment of the State of Israel.
The name Masada has become a powerful symbol of resistance and perseverance, particularly within the Jewish and Israeli cultural contexts. It serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for their freedom and beliefs, and continues to inspire individuals to stand firm in the face of adversity.
People
Masada + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Masada as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Masada: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Masada?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Masada going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Masada a common name?
We classify Masada as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Masada most popular?
The single biggest year for Masada was 1981, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Masada is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Masada in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Masada a male name?
Yes, 54.5% of people registered as Masada in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Masada still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Masada in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Masada can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Masada?
Want to know how many people share the name Masada? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.