2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Masinter
An anglicized variant of the German surname Meissner, meaning someone from the town of Meissen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Masinter. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masinter 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Masinter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masinter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masinter
The surname "MASINTER" is of English origin, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the village of Masinter in Gloucestershire, deriving its name from the Old English words "mæsse" meaning "mass" and "inter" meaning "dweller" – thus referring to someone who lived near the church or chapel where mass was celebrated.
Records show that the earliest known bearer of this surname was John Masinter, born in 1523 in Masinter, Gloucestershire. He was a farmer and landowner, as mentioned in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in the village.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662, which lists a Thomas Masinter as a resident of Masinter village, paying taxes on his household.
During the 18th century, the surname spread to other parts of England, with notable bearers including William Masinter (1721-1797), a merchant who lived in Bristol, and Mary Masinter (1745-1823), a philanthropist from London who founded an orphanage for underprivileged children.
The 19th century saw the name appearing in various historical records, such as the 1841 Census of England and Wales, which recorded a family of Masinters living in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
One of the most prominent figures with this surname was Sir Edward Masinter (1857-1932), a British politician and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Tewkesbury from 1892 to 1918.
Another noteworthy bearer was Robert Masinter (1879-1957), a renowned architect who designed several landmark buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House.
Moving into the 20th century, there was Elizabeth Masinter (1905-1988), a celebrated author who wrote several novels and children's books, many of which became bestsellers in their time.
While the surname "MASINTER" is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history dating back several centuries, with bearers hailing from various walks of life, including farmers, merchants, politicians, architects, and writers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masinter
Among Census respondents with the surname Masinter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Masinter 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 Masinter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 108
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masinter
Masinter 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+21 bearers (+20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,795 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,860 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+20.6%) | Up 11,795 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 4,860 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 Masinter 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 | #136,449 | #141,309 | -3.6% |
| Count | 123 | 121 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masinter bearers went from 123 to 121 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 4,860 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #141,309.
FAQ
Masinter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masinter?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Masinter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Masinter?
Masinter ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Masinter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Masinter.
Has Masinter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masinter went from 123 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Masinter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masinter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Masinter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masinter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Masinter (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 Masinter mean?
An anglicized variant of the German surname Meissner, meaning someone from the town of Meissen. 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 Masinter (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 common is the surname Masinter?
If you just want to know how many people are called Masinter, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.