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

Massengill, 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 Massengill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Massengill in America

Massengill is the 9352nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Massengill surname appeared 3,478 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 Massengill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Massengill 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 Massengill

The surname Massengill has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from a place name, likely a combination of two Old English words: "maesse," meaning mass or church, and "ingell," meaning a meadow or pasture. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a meadow or pasture where a church was located.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, from the year 1587, where a John Massengill is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hearth Tax returns of 1662 for the county of Northamptonshire, indicating its presence in various regions of England during that time.

In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Robert Massengill, a merchant and landowner who resided in the city of Bristol. Historical records show that he was involved in trade with the American colonies and owned several properties in the area.

As the British Empire expanded, the Massengill surname found its way to other parts of the world. In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Massengill settled in Virginia, United States. Among them was William Massengill, born in 1765, who served as a soldier during the American Revolutionary War.

Another prominent figure with this surname was John Massengill, a Welsh-born Anglican priest who lived in the 19th century. He served as the rector of St. Peter's Church in Northampton, England, from 1832 to 1861.

In more recent history, one of the most well-known individuals with the Massengill name was Thomas D. Massengill, an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Massengill Company in the early 20th century. This company, based in Tennessee, became a leading manufacturer of personal care products, particularly feminine hygiene products.

While the Massengill surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by families and individuals who have contributed to various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Massengill

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!