Mashon
A feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Mashon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mashon today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mashon births was 1973 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mashon. 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 Mashon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1973
6 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
1973 SSA rank
#4,881
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Mashon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mashon 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 Mashon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mashon
The given name Mashon has its roots in ancient Sumerian culture, originating around 3500 BCE in the region of Mesopotamia, which is modern-day Iraq. The name is derived from the Sumerian words "ma" meaning "to create" and "shon" meaning "life," thus signifying "creator of life." This name was commonly used in Sumerian society to honor the goddess of fertility and childbirth, Inanna.
Mashon gained further prominence in the ancient Babylonian and Akkadian empires, where it was often bestowed upon individuals born during festivities celebrating the renewal of life and the spring equinox. The name is mentioned in several cuneiform tablets and inscriptions from the region, dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mashon can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem from around 2100 BCE. The name appears as a minor character, a priestess in the temple of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love and war.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Mashon. In the 8th century BCE, Mashon of Nineveh was a renowned Assyrian poet and scholar, known for his works on the mythology and folklore of ancient Mesopotamia. Additionally, Mashon the Wise, a philosopher from the 6th century BCE in ancient Persia, was renowned for his teachings on the importance of balance and harmony in life.
During the Hellenistic period, Mashon of Alexandria (c. 250 BCE - 180 BCE) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer, known for his contributions to the development of trigonometry and his work on the calculation of the circumference of the Earth.
In the medieval era, Mashon al-Andalusi (1009 - 1070 CE) was a renowned Arab philosopher and poet from the Iberian Peninsula, celebrated for his works on metaphysics and his influence on the development of Islamic philosophy.
Finally, in the 16th century, Mashon the Navigator (1480 - 1524) was a Portuguese explorer and cartographer, known for his pioneering voyages along the coasts of Africa and Asia, and his contributions to the development of maritime navigation techniques.
People
Mashon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mashon 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
Mashon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mashon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mashon 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Mashon a common name?
We classify Mashon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mashon most popular?
The single biggest year for Mashon was 1973, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mashon is about 49 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 Mashon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mashon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mashon 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 Mashon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mashon 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 Mashon 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 common is the name Mashon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.