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

Massiah, 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 Massiah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Massiah in America

Massiah is the 40909th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Massiah surname appeared 533 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Massiah.

We can also compare 2010 data for Massiah 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 Massiah

The surname Massiah originates from the Middle East, specifically from the Arabic-speaking regions. It emerged during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries CE. The name is derived from the Arabic word "Masih," which means "anointed one" or "messiah."

In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "Masih" or "Masihi." It was commonly used by Arab Christians and was initially a descriptive name or a title referring to Jesus Christ or other religious figures considered to be "anointed ones."

The earliest known record of the name Massiah can be found in medieval Arabic manuscripts and chronicles, particularly those documenting the lives of early Christian communities in the Middle East. Some of these records date back to the 9th and 10th centuries CE.

As the name spread across different regions, its spelling evolved, and variations such as "Massiah" and "Massiya" emerged. These variations were influenced by local dialects and linguistic variations within the Arabic language.

One notable bearer of the name Massiah was Abu'l-Faraj Ibn al-Massiah, a renowned Christian physician and scholar who lived in Baghdad during the 10th century CE. He made significant contributions to the fields of medicine and philosophy.

Another historical figure with the surname Massiah was Salih ibn Massiah, a renowned mathematician and astronomer who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century CE. He was known for his work on the astrolabe and other astronomical instruments.

In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Yahya ibn Massiah served as a physician and medical writer in Cairo, Egypt. His works on medicine and pharmacology were highly influential during that time.

During the medieval period, the surname Massiah also appeared in various regions of the Middle East, including Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. It was often associated with Christian communities in these areas.

It is worth noting that the name Massiah has also been recorded in some historical documents from the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), where it was used by both Christian and Muslim communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Massiah

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

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

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

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