Masha
A feminine Russian diminutive form of the name Maria.
Name Census estimates that about 538 living Americans carry the first name Masha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Masha today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Masha births was 2022 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Masha. 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
538
~ 1 in 637,090 Americans
Peak year
2022
33 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,422
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Masha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Masha from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 140 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
Masha 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 Masha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mashas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Masha
The name Masha is a diminutive form of the Russian name Maria, which is derived from the Hebrew name Miryam. The name Maria has its roots in ancient Egypt, where it was used as a transcription of the ancient Egyptian name "Mry" or "Merer," meaning "beloved." The name Maria gained widespread popularity in Europe after the rise of Christianity, as it was the name of the mother of Jesus Christ.
Masha is a common nickname for Maria in Russia and other Slavic countries. It first appeared in written records in the Middle Ages, and its use became more widespread during the Renaissance period. The earliest recorded example of the name Masha dates back to the 16th century, when it was used by Russian nobility and aristocracy.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Masha. One of the earliest was Masha Myasnova (1592-1677), a Russian noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in the political affairs of her time. Another notable Masha was Masha Semyonova (1608-1673), a Russian merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of churches and monasteries.
In the 19th century, Masha Zakrevskaya (1804-1867) was a renowned Russian writer and poet who contributed to the development of Russian literature. Masha Kaluzhnina (1825-1872) was a Russian actress and playwright who helped establish the Moscow Art Theatre.
More recently, Masha Gessen (born 1967) is a Russian-American journalist and author known for her critical works on Vladimir Putin's Russia. Masha Tsetlin (born 1944) is a Russian-American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of machine learning.
Overall, the name Masha has a rich history that spans centuries and different cultures, with its origins rooted in ancient Egypt and its popularity in Russia and other Slavic countries. It has been borne by notable figures in various fields, including literature, theatre, and academia, making it a name with a significant cultural and historical legacy.
People
Masha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Masha 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
Masha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Masha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 538 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Masha 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 637,090 US residents.
Is Masha a common name?
We classify Masha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 554 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Masha most popular?
The single biggest year for Masha was 2022, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Masha is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Masha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Masha 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.