Find out how popular the last name Manson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Manson.

Manson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Manson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Manson in America

Manson is the 4629th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Manson surname appeared 7,663 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Manson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Manson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Manson

The surname Manson is of British origin, originating from the northern regions of England and Scotland. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "mann" meaning "man" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "homestead." This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a specific settlement or enclosed area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Manson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as "Mannesun." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. Additionally, the Manson surname is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, there are records of a John Manson who was a landowner in Northumberland, England. Another notable figure was Sir Walter Manson, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.

Moving into the 16th century, the Manson surname appears in various historical documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Westmorland in 1524, where a Richard Manson is listed. During this time, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Manson in Cumbria, England, and Mansontown in Ayrshire, Scotland.

In the 17th century, one notable individual was William Manson, a Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh, who lived from 1620 to 1683. Another was John Manson, an English clergyman and author, born in 1659, who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, James Manson, a Scottish architect and civil engineer, was responsible for designing and constructing several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh, where he worked from 1789 to 1826.

As the centuries progressed, the Manson surname continued to be associated with various individuals across different fields. For example, in the 19th century, there was Patrick Manson, a Scottish physician and pioneer in the field of tropical medicine, who lived from 1844 to 1922. He is credited with discovering the transmission of elephantiasis and other parasitic diseases by mosquitoes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Manson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Manson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Manson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Manson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Manson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Manson, please contact us.

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