2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Masem
Likely derived from a Middle Eastern given name or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Masem. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masem 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Masem in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masem, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masem
The surname MASEM is believed to have originated in France during the early Middle Ages, around the 9th or 10th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "massemin," which referred to a small hammer or mallet used by stonemasons or woodworkers. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, given to someone who worked as a stonemason or woodworker.
The earliest recorded instances of the name MASEM can be found in medieval French records and manuscripts from the 11th and 12th centuries. One notable example is a reference to a "Renaud Masem" in a charter from the Abbey of Saint-Denis, dated around 1120. This suggests that the name was already well-established in France by the 12th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name MASEM likely underwent various spelling variations, such as "Massemin," "Massemen," or "Massamin," as orthography was not standardized at the time. It is also possible that the name was associated with certain place names or regions, although no specific examples have been definitively identified.
In the 13th century, a man named Jean MASEM (c. 1220-1290) was a prominent architect and stonemason who worked on the construction of the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. His contribution to this landmark architectural achievement may have further solidified the association between the surname MASEM and the stonemason or woodworking trades.
Another notable bearer of the name MASEM was Guillaume MASEM (c. 1375-1440), a French military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He is recorded as having led a contingent of troops at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, where he was captured by the English forces.
In the 16th century, a French scholar and theologian named Jean MASEM (c. 1505-1572) gained recognition for his writings on religious doctrine and his participation in the Council of Trent, a pivotal event in the Counter-Reformation.
During the 17th century, a French painter named Nicolas MASEM (c. 1630-1695) achieved some renown for his portraits and religious paintings, several of which can still be found in churches and museums across France.
While the surname MASEM may have had its origins in France, it is possible that it spread to other regions of Europe through migration and trade, leading to variations in spelling and pronunciation over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masem
Among Census respondents with the surname Masem, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Masem 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 Masem surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 99
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masem
Masem 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
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+8 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 8,986 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 Masem 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 | #158,432 | #149,446 | 5.7% |
| Count | 102 | 110 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masem bearers went from 102 to 110 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 8,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #149,446.
FAQ
Masem surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masem?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Masem. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Masem?
Masem ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Masem. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Masem.
Has Masem become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masem went from 102 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 8 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Masem?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masem, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Masem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masem appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Black (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Masem (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 Masem mean?
Likely derived from a Middle Eastern given name or place name. 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 Masem (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 have the last name Masem?
You can see how many people are called Masem on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.