Find out how popular the last name Mass is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mass.

Mass, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mass surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mass in America

Mass is the 12048th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mass surname appeared 2,588 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mass.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mass to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mass

The surname MASS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "maesse," which means "mass" or "celebration of the Eucharist." The name likely originated in the 11th or 12th century and was used to denote someone who lived near a church or was closely associated with the church or religious services.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname MASS can be found in various medieval records, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Masse." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership in England.

In the 13th century, the surname MASS appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like record of landowners and their holdings. The name was also found in the Feet of Fines, a collection of legal documents from the same period, indicating that individuals bearing this surname were involved in land transactions.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname MASS was John Masse, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another notable figure was William Masse, a prominent landowner in Gloucestershire, whose name appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1380.

The surname MASS has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir John Masse (c. 1460-1528) was an English diplomat and Lord Mayor of London in 1527. Edward Masse (c. 1577-1656) was an English clergyman and philosopher who served as the Rector of Woodhill in Buckinghamshire.

In the 17th century, Isaac Masse (1587-1643) was a French Jesuit missionary and explorer who accompanied Samuel de Champlain on his expeditions to Canada. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the Great Lakes region.

Another prominent figure with the surname MASS was Johann Gottfried Masse (1691-1755), a German architect and urban planner who designed many notable buildings in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the reign of Empress Elizabeth.

The name MASS has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Massingham in Norfolk and Masseys Wood in Gloucestershire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mass

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mass.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mass was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mass has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mass was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mass, please contact us.

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