2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Masdon
A surname possibly derived from a place name or an alteration of the name Madison.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Masdon. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masdon 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Masdon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masdon
The surname MASDON is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the county of Devon, where the name was derived from a place name or a descriptive term related to the local landscape or terrain.
One theory suggests that MASDON is a variant of the Old English word "maesdun," which means "hill meadow" or "grassy hill." This could indicate that the earliest bearers of this surname lived in an area characterized by rolling hills or meadows, lending their name a descriptive quality.
Another possibility is that MASDON is a locational surname, derived from a specific place name that has since been lost to history or underwent significant changes in spelling over time. Locational surnames were common in medieval England, as they helped distinguish individuals from different regions.
The earliest known recorded instance of the MASDON surname dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in the Pipe Rolls of Devon from 1242. This historical record provides evidence of the name's presence in the region during that time period.
One notable bearer of the MASDON surname was Sir John MASDON (c. 1320 - 1387), a wealthy landowner and knight who served as a member of Parliament for Devon during the reign of Edward III. His family's estate was located in the village of Masdon, which may have contributed to the surname's origin.
Another individual of note was William MASDON (1550 - 1622), a prominent merchant and ship owner from Plymouth. He was involved in the early English voyages of exploration and trade with the New World, contributing to the growth of the city's maritime industry.
In the 17th century, the MASDON surname appeared in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Totnes, Devon, where several members of the family were recorded as being born, married, or buried in the local community.
One intriguing historical reference comes from the court records of the Star Chamber in London, where a case involving a Richard MASDON was heard in 1631. The details of the case have been lost to time, but it serves as a testament to the surname's presence in various parts of England during that era.
Throughout the centuries, variations in spelling were common, with the surname appearing as MASDON, MASDEN, MASDIN, and MASSDYN in various historical documents and records. This diversity in spelling reflects the fluid nature of naming practices in medieval and early modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masdon
Among Census respondents with the surname Masdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Masdon 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 Masdon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 102
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masdon
Masdon appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-6 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,128 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+11 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 17,128 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 12,310 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 Masdon 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 | #160,975 | #148,665 | 7.6% |
| Count | 100 | 111 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masdon bearers went from 100 to 111 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 12,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #148,665.
FAQ
Masdon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masdon?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Masdon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Masdon?
Masdon ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Masdon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Masdon.
Has Masdon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masdon went from 100 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 11 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Masdon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Masdon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masdon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (1.8%). 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 Masdon (2000, 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 Masdon mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name or an alteration of the name Madison. 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 Masdon (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 people share the surname Masdon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.