2000
#9,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Masi
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who grew, made, or sold maces, a spice made from nutmeg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,251 Americans carry the last name Masi. That puts it at #10,750 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,430 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masi 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Masi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 105,430
Census rank
#10,750
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,835 bearers of the surname Masi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10750th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masi, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masi
The surname "MASI" is of Italian origin, specifically from the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. The name can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "maso," which means a farmhouse or a rural property.
In some historical records, the surname is also found with variations in spelling, such as "Maso," "Masio," or "Masso." These variations suggest that the name was initially associated with individuals who lived or worked on a farmhouse or rural estate.
One of the earliest known references to the surname "MASI" can be found in the Estimo, a tax record from the city of Florence, dating back to 1427. This record lists several individuals with the surname, indicating its presence in the Tuscan region during that time period.
Another notable historical reference is the appearance of the name in the Heraldic Rolls of the Republic of Venice. In these rolls, which date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, several noble families with the surname "MASI" are mentioned, suggesting their prominence and influence in the region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname "MASI." One such person was Girolamo Masi (1572-1635), an Italian painter and engraver from Bologna, known for his works depicting religious subjects and mythological themes.
Another significant figure was Giulio Masi (1593-1667), an Italian architect and engineer from Florence, who designed several notable buildings and fortifications in his native city.
In the realm of literature, Bartolomeo Masi (1631-1708) was a renowned Italian historian and writer from Volterra, who authored several works on the history of his native region.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Alessandro Masi (1809-1879), an Italian sculptor from Massa Marittima, whose works adorned various churches and public spaces in Tuscany.
Lastly, Ernesto Masi (1891-1963) was a notable Italian writer and journalist from Florence, known for his contributions to various literary publications and his works on Italian culture and history.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname "MASI" who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, reflecting the rich heritage and legacy associated with this Italian surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masi
Among Census respondents with the surname Masi, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Masi 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 Masi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 2,535
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 75
- Two or more races2.2% · 62
- Black or African American1.5% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masi
Masi 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
#10,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,083
+71 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 549 places
2020
#10,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,835
-248 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 316 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,885 | 3,012 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,434 | 3,083 | 1.05 | +71 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 549 places |
| 2020 | #10,750 | 2,835 | 0.95 | -248 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 316 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 Masi 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 | #10,434 | #10,750 | -3.0% |
| Count | 3,083 | 2,835 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.95 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masi bearers went from 3,083 to 2,835 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 316 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,434 to #10,750.
FAQ
Masi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masi?
Name Census estimates that about 3,251 living Americans carry the surname Masi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,430 residents.
How common is Masi?
Masi ranks #10,750 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,835 people with the surname Masi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Masi.
Has Masi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masi went from 3,083 recorded bearers to 2,835. That is a decrease of 248 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,434 to #10,750.
What does the Census say about the background of Masi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masi, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Masi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,535 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Masi (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 Masi mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who grew, made, or sold maces, a spice made from nutmeg. 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 Masi (0.95 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 Masi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.