Masey
A diminutive form of the English surname Massie, ultimately derived from the pet name of a surname established in Normandy.
Name Census estimates that about 304 living Americans carry the first name Masey. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Masey today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Masey births was 2001 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Masey. 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.
People living today
304
~ 1 in 1,127,481 Americans
Peak year
2001
21 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2022 SSA rank
#16,853
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Masey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Masey from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 124 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Masey 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 Masey 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 Masey
The name Masey is an English given name with origins dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "mæsi," meaning "pasture" or "meadow." The spelling "Masey" emerged in the 15th century as a variant of the more common "Macy" or "Macey."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Masey can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwickshire, England, where a Masey Wilkins was christened in 1487. During the Tudor and Elizabethan periods, the name was particularly popular among English gentry and landowners, likely due to its association with pastoral landscapes and rural estates.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Masey was Sir Masey Denton (1592-1672), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire. He was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War and was knighted by King Charles I in 1642 for his loyalty and service.
Another prominent individual with the name Masey was Masey Dunkirk (1688-1759), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession. He rose to the rank of Vice Admiral and was commended for his bravery and strategic prowess in several naval engagements.
In the 18th century, Masey Symondson (1718-1783) was a respected English clergyman and author. He published several theological works and served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
During the Victorian era, the name Masey enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, particularly among the upper classes. One notable figure from this time was Masey Ellesmere (1829-1901), a British aristocrat and politician who served as the Governor of New Zealand from 1884 to 1889.
While the name Masey has remained relatively uncommon in modern times, it continues to hold historical significance and a connection to its pastoral English roots.
People
Masey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Masey 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
Masey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Masey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 304 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Masey 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 1,127,481 US residents.
Is Masey a common name?
We classify Masey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 310 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Masey most popular?
The single biggest year for Masey was 2001, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Masey is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Masey a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Masey in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.