2000
#29,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Rare Last name
Masood
An Arabic surname signifying prosperity, fortune or blessing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,400 Americans carry the last name Masood. That puts it at #13,826 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,814 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masood 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 Masood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,814
Census rank
#13,826
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,093 bearers of the surname Masood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13826th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masood, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masood
The surname Masood has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "Sa'eed" meaning "blessed" or "fortunate." Its roots can be traced back to the Middle East, particularly the Arabian Peninsula, where it was commonly used by Arab tribes and families.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Masood date back to the 7th century during the Islamic Golden Age, when it was mentioned in various historical documents and manuscripts. One notable reference is found in the works of renowned Arab scholar and historian, Al-Tabari, who lived between 838 and 923 CE.
In the Middle Ages, the surname Masood was associated with individuals who had achieved success or prominence in various fields, such as scholars, poets, and military leaders. One of the most famous figures bearing this name was Nizam al-Mulk Masood, a Persian scholar and vizier to the Seljuk Empire, who lived from 1018 to 1092 CE.
As the Islamic empires expanded and trade routes flourished, the name Masood spread to other regions, including parts of South Asia and Central Asia. In the Indian subcontinent, the surname was adopted by Muslims who traced their ancestry back to Arab or Persian origins.
One notable bearer of the name Masood was Mirza Masood, a renowned Urdu poet and scholar who lived in the 18th century. He was renowned for his contributions to Urdu literature and his mastery of the Persian and Arabic languages.
Another prominent figure with the surname Masood was Liaquat Ali Khan Masood, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, who served from 1947 to 1951. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the modern state of Pakistan and is remembered for his efforts in nation-building.
In the modern era, the surname Masood has continued to be prominent in various parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East, South Asia, and among Muslim communities globally. It has been carried by notable figures in fields such as literature, politics, and academia.
One example is Waris Shah Masood, a renowned Punjabi Sufi poet who lived in the 18th century and is best known for his epic poem "Heer Ranjha," which is considered a masterpiece of Punjabi literature.
Another notable bearer of the name Masood is Khaled Masood, a Pakistani-American academic and author who has written extensively on Islamic history, politics, and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masood
Among Census respondents with the surname Masood, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Masood 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 Masood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.2% · 1,699
- White11.0% · 231
- Two or more races5.3% · 110
- Black or African American1.2% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masood
Masood 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
#18,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,451
+686 bearers (+89.7%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Up 10,332 places
2020
#13,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,093
+642 bearers (+44.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 5,023 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,181 | 765 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,849 | 1,451 | 0.49 | +686 bearers (+89.7%) | Up 10,332 places |
| 2020 | #13,826 | 2,093 | 0.70 | +642 bearers (+44.2%) | Up 5,023 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 Masood 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 | #18,849 | #13,826 | 26.6% |
| Count | 1,451 | 2,093 | 44.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.70 | 42.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masood bearers went from 1,451 to 2,093 (+44.2% change). The surname moved up 5,023 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,849 to #13,826.
FAQ
Masood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masood?
Name Census estimates that about 2,400 living Americans carry the surname Masood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,814 residents.
How common is Masood?
Masood ranks #13,826 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,093 people with the surname Masood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,400), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Masood.
Has Masood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masood went from 1,451 recorded bearers to 2,093. That is an increase of 642 (+44.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,849 to #13,826.
What does the Census say about the background of Masood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masood, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.2%. The next largest groups are White (11.0%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Masood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (1,699 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (81.2%), White (11.0%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Masood (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 Masood mean?
An Arabic surname signifying prosperity, fortune or blessing. 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 Masood (0.70 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 Masood?
Find out how common the surname Masood is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.