2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Massaline
Of French origin, a habitational surname from someone hailing from Maseline, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Massaline. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Massaline 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Massaline in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Massaline, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Massaline
The surname MASSALINE is believed to have originated in the French region of Normandy during the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French words "masse" meaning a club or mace, and "lin" meaning made of linen, suggesting that the name may have referred to a person who crafted or carried linen-wrapped weapons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where a certain Radulfus Massaline is listed as a landowner in the county of Hampshire. This indicates that the Massaline family had already established a presence in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various medieval records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, which mention a Hugo Massaline. The name was also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a Johannes Massaline is documented.
During the 14th century, the Massaline name spread across Europe, with notable individuals such as Petrus Massaline, a merchant from Genoa, Italy, who is recorded in maritime trade documents from 1348. Another early bearer of the name was Sir William Massaline, a knight from Lancashire, England, who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was mentioned in chronicles from 1415.
In the 15th century, the Massaline family established roots in France, with the birth of Jean Massaline in 1472, a prominent military commander who served under King Louis XI. His descendant, Marie Massaline, was a celebrated poet and writer who lived in Paris during the late 16th century (1548-1615).
The 17th century saw the Massaline name spread further across Europe, with notable individuals such as Dutch explorer Pieter Massaline (1610-1678), who embarked on several voyages to the East Indies and left detailed accounts of his travels. In England, Sir Robert Massaline (1628-1694) was a respected jurist and member of Parliament.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Massaline
Among Census respondents with the surname Massaline, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Massaline 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 Massaline surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.1% · 104
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- White1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Massaline
Massaline 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,489 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,403 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,489 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,403 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 Massaline 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 | #142,108 | #143,511 | -1.0% |
| Count | 117 | 118 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Massaline bearers went from 117 to 118 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,403 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #143,511.
FAQ
Massaline surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Massaline?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Massaline. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Massaline?
Massaline ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Massaline. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Massaline.
Has Massaline become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Massaline went from 117 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Massaline?
Among Census respondents with the surname Massaline, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Massaline in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Massaline appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (88.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Massaline (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 Massaline mean?
Of French origin, a habitational surname from someone hailing from Maseline, France. 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 Massaline (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 Massaline?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Massaline, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.