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

Massé, 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 Massé surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Massé in America

Massé is the 8741st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Massé surname appeared 3,753 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 Massé.

We can also compare 2010 data for Massé 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 Massé

The surname Masse originated in France, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "masse," which means "club" or "mace." This name likely referred to someone who made or used such weapons, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname were involved in military or armory professions.

The name Masse can be traced back to the 12th century, with records showing it appearing in various historical documents from that time period. One of the earliest known references is found in the "Livre des Bourgeois de Reims," a record of the citizens of Reims, France, which mentions a certain "Jean Masse" in 1192.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the "Tailles de Normandie," a tax record from the region of Normandy, which lists several individuals with the surname Masse. This suggests that the name had spread across different regions of northern France by that time.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Masse was Jean Masse (c. 1370-1440), a French clergyman and diplomat who served as the Bishop of Agde from 1418 until his death. Another notable figure was François Masse (1572-1653), a French lawyer and historian who authored several works on the history of Normandy.

During the Middle Ages, the name Masse was also associated with various place names in northern France, such as Massevillette, a commune in the Somme department, and Massieu, a commune in the Isère department. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or vice versa, indicating the presence of families bearing the name in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Masse include:

1. Jean-Baptiste Masse (1687-1767), a French composer and violinist who served as the court musician to Louis XV.
2. Victor Masse (1822-1884), a French painter and illustrator known for his genre scenes and portraits.
3. Marie-Anne Masse (1809-1884), a French Catholic nun who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Hyacinthe.
4. Henri Masse (1886-1969), a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Paris and other French cities.
5. Marcel Masse (1909-1991), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1966 to 1976.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Massé

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

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 Massé 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 Massé 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 Massé was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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