2000
#10,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Mass
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a field or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,682 Americans carry the last name Mass. That puts it at #12,607 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,798 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mass 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 Mass with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,798
Census rank
#12,607
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,339 bearers of the surname Mass in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12607th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mass, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.2%) and Black (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mass
Among Census respondents with the surname Mass, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.2%) and Black (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mass 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 Mass surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.8% · 1,610
- Hispanic or Latino17.2% · 402
- Black or African American9.6% · 224
- Two or more races3.0% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mass
Mass 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
#12,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,588
-130 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 1,275 places
2020
#12,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,339
-249 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,773 | 2,718 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,048 | 2,588 | 0.88 | -130 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1,275 places |
| 2020 | #12,607 | 2,339 | 0.78 | -249 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 559 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 Mass 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 | #12,048 | #12,607 | -4.6% |
| Count | 2,588 | 2,339 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.78 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mass bearers went from 2,588 to 2,339 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 559 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,048 to #12,607.
FAQ
Mass surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mass?
Name Census estimates that about 2,682 living Americans carry the surname Mass. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,798 residents.
How common is Mass?
Mass ranks #12,607 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,339 people with the surname Mass. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,682), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Mass.
Has Mass become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mass went from 2,588 recorded bearers to 2,339. That is a decrease of 249 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,048 to #12,607.
What does the Census say about the background of Mass?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mass, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.2%) and Black (9.6%). 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 Mass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.8% (1,610 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mass appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.8%), Hispanic (17.2%), Black (9.6%). 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 Mass (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 Mass mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a field or meadow. 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 Mass (0.78 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 surname Mass?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.