2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Massier
A surname derived from the Old French word "massier," referring to a bailiff or court usher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Massier. 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 Massier 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 Massier 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 Massier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Massier
The surname Massier originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the old French word "massier," which means "mace bearer" or "sergeant-at-arms." The name likely referred to a person who carried a ceremonial mace or acted as a court official or marshal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Massier can be found in the 13th-century chartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris. This document mentions a certain "Johannes Massier" who resided in the nearby village of Montrouge.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records from the Île-de-France region, including tax rolls and land registries. For example, a "Guillelmus Massier" is listed as a landowner in the village of Montreuil in 1348.
During the Renaissance period, the Massier family spread to other parts of France, with some members achieving notable positions. Jean Massier (1544-1611) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Lyon, while Nicolas Massier (1573-1642) served as the royal librarian to King Louis XIII.
The name also found its way to other European countries, likely through migration or trade. In the 17th century, a branch of the Massier family settled in the Netherlands, where they became successful merchants and traders. Willem Massier (1628-1692) was a renowned Dutch East India Company merchant based in Amsterdam.
Another notable figure was the French mathematician and astronomer Jacques Massier (1687-1768), who made significant contributions to the study of planetary orbits and the calculation of eclipses.
As the Massier family spread throughout Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Massiers, Massière, and Massières. These variations often reflected regional dialects or linguistic influences.
Despite its French origins, the surname Massier has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and intermarriage. However, the earliest and most prominent records of the name can be traced back to its medieval French roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Massier
Among Census respondents with the surname Massier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Massier 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 Massier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 107
- Black or African American9.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Massier
Massier 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,638 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,638 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 5,884 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 Massier 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 | #149,395 | #143,511 | 3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 118 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Massier bearers went from 110 to 118 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 5,884 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #143,511.
FAQ
Massier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Massier?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Massier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Massier?
Massier 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 Massier. 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 Massier.
Has Massier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Massier went from 110 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Massier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Massier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.3%). 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 Massier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Massier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Black (9.3%). 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 Massier (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 Massier mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "massier," referring to a bailiff or court usher. 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 Massier (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 many people share the surname Massier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.