2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Masarweh
A surname of Arabic origin meaning the prosperous one or thriving person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Masarweh. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masarweh surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Masarweh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masarweh, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masarweh
The surname Masarweh has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Levant region that encompasses modern-day Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and parts of Syria. Its roots can be traced back to the Arabic language, where the word "masarweh" loosely translates to "happiness" or "joy."
The earliest known records of this surname date back to the 12th century, during the Ayyubid dynasty that ruled over parts of the Levant and Egypt. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by families living in the vicinity of the city of Karak, located in present-day Jordan. This region was known for its fertile lands and prosperous agricultural communities, which may have contributed to the association of the name with happiness and abundance.
In the 14th century, the Masarweh surname gained further prominence when it was mentioned in various manuscripts and records kept by the Mamluk Sultanate, which controlled large swaths of the Levant and Egypt at the time. These documents often referred to individuals with this surname as merchants, landowners, or religious scholars, indicating their elevated social status within the urban centers of the region.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Masarweh surname was Abu al-Qasim Masarweh, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who lived during the 13th century. He is credited with writing several influential works on Islamic jurisprudence and is revered for his contributions to the development of Sharia law.
Another prominent figure was Yahya Masarweh, a 15th-century poet and calligrapher whose works were widely celebrated throughout the Mamluk Sultanate. His intricate calligraphic pieces adorned the walls of numerous mosques and madrasas (Islamic schools) across the region, earning him a reputation as a master of the art form.
In the 16th century, the Masarweh surname became associated with the city of Nablus (also known as Shechem), located in present-day Palestine. The Masarweh family was among the prominent olive oil merchants who contributed to the city's thriving economy and cultural vibrancy during the Ottoman period.
One of the most notable individuals from this period was Ibrahim Masarweh, a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who lived in the late 16th century. He funded the construction of several public buildings, including a magnificent caravanserai (roadside inn) that still stands today in the heart of Nablus' old city.
During the 18th century, the Masarweh surname gained recognition in the city of Jerusalem, where several members of the family held influential positions within the religious and educational institutions of the city. Among them was Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Masarweh, a renowned Islamic scholar and judge who served as the Mufti (chief religious authority) of Jerusalem in the late 1700s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masarweh
Among Census respondents with the surname Masarweh, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Masarweh bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Masarweh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masarweh
Masarweh appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-25 bearers (-19.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,514 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-19.1%) | Down 22,514 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Masarweh surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #129,825 | #152,339 | -17.3% |
| Count | 131 | 106 | -19.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masarweh bearers went from 131 to 106 (-19.1% change). The surname moved down 22,514 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #152,339.
FAQ
Masarweh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masarweh?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Masarweh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Masarweh?
Masarweh ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Masarweh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Masarweh.
Has Masarweh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masarweh went from 131 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 25 (-19.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Masarweh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masarweh, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Masarweh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masarweh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Masarweh (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Masarweh mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning the prosperous one or thriving person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Masarweh (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Masarweh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.