Masashi
An elegant Japanese masculine name meaning "transcendent ruler" or "true ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 26 living Americans carry the first name Masashi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Masashi today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Masashi births was 1921 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Masashi. 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 Masashi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
26
~ 1 in 13,182,859 Americans
Peak year
1921
13 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1995 SSA rank
#9,788
Tracked since 1913
Census
Masashi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 366 people with the first name Masashi, which placed it at #25,756 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#25,756
National first-name rank
People counted
366
366 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
91.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masashi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Masashi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and White (1.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Masashi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Masashi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.0% · 333
- Two or more races4.6% · 17
- White1.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
Popularity
Masashi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Masashi from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 74 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Masashi 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 Masashi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Masashis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Masashi
The name Masashi is a Japanese given name with roots dating back to ancient times. It is a combination of the Japanese words "masa," meaning "true" or "righteous," and "shi," meaning "samurai" or "warrior." The name can be interpreted to mean "righteous warrior" or "true samurai."
During the feudal era of Japan, which spanned from the 12th to the 19th century, the name Masashi was commonly given to sons of samurai families. It symbolized the ideal qualities of a loyal and honorable warrior, reflecting the values and traditions of the samurai class.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Masashi can be found in historical documents and records from the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). During this time, the samurai class rose to prominence, and their cultural influence was deeply ingrained in Japanese society.
One notable figure from history who bore the name Masashi was Masashi Fujii (1569-1645), a renowned samurai and military commander who served under the powerful Tokugawa shogunate. He was known for his bravery and strategic prowess in various battles during the Sengoku period, the era of warring states in Japan.
Another historically significant individual named Masashi was Masashi Miyamoto (1835-1888), a prominent educator and philosopher during the Meiji era. He played a crucial role in modernizing Japan's education system and introducing Western ideas to the country.
In the realm of literature, Masashi Kishimoto (1974-), the creator of the popular manga series "Naruto," has made a significant impact on contemporary Japanese culture. His work has gained worldwide recognition and has inspired countless fans around the globe.
Masashi Tashiro (1956-2005) was a celebrated Japanese actor known for his roles in numerous films and television dramas. His performances were widely acclaimed, and he left a lasting legacy in the entertainment industry.
Masashi Yamamoto (1957-), a former professional baseball player, is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in Japanese baseball history. He achieved numerous accolades and records during his illustrious career, cementing his place as a legend in the sport.
The name Masashi has endured through the ages, carrying with it a rich historical significance and cultural associations. Its meaning and connotations reflect the ideals of honor, righteousness, and strength that have been deeply rooted in Japanese society for centuries.
People
Masashi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Masashi 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
Masashi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Masashi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 26 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Masashi 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 13,182,859 US residents.
Is Masashi a common name?
We classify Masashi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 146 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Masashi most popular?
The single biggest year for Masashi was 1921, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Masashi is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Masashi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 366 people with the name Masashi, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,756 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Masashi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Masashi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Masashi appears almost entirely male. Of the 365 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Masashi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Masashi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and White (1.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Masashi most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Masashi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (333 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Masashi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Masashi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Masashi 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 Masashi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Masashi 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 Masashi 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.
How many people share the name Masashi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.