2000
#8,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Masse
A French occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with a mace or heavy hammer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,769 Americans carry the last name Masse. That puts it at #9,469 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,940 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masse 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
3.8K
1 in 90,940
Census rank
#9,469
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,287 bearers of the surname Masse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9469th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masse, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masse
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The name Masse can be traced back to the 12th century, with records showing it appearing in various historical documents from that time period.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masse
Among Census respondents with the surname Masse, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Masse 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 Masse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 2,786
- Black or African American7.2% · 236
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 119
- Two or more races3.5% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masse
Masse 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
#8,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,753
+258 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 78 places
2020
#9,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,287
-466 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 728 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,663 | 3,495 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,741 | 3,753 | 1.27 | +258 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 78 places |
| 2020 | #9,469 | 3,287 | 1.10 | -466 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 728 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 Masse 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 | #8,741 | #9,469 | -8.3% |
| Count | 3,753 | 3,287 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.10 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masse bearers went from 3,753 to 3,287 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 728 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,741 to #9,469.
FAQ
Masse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masse?
Name Census estimates that about 3,769 living Americans carry the surname Masse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,940 residents.
How common is Masse?
Masse ranks #9,469 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,287 people with the surname Masse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,769), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Masse.
Has Masse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masse went from 3,753 recorded bearers to 3,287. That is a decrease of 466 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,741 to #9,469.
What does the Census say about the background of Masse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masse, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Masse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (2,786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Black (7.2%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Masse (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 Masse mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with a mace or heavy hammer. 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 Masse (1.10 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 Masse?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Masse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.