2000
#10,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Masson
A French occupational surname referring to a stoneworker, stonemason, or someone who lived in a stone-built house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,289 Americans carry the last name Masson. That puts it at #10,644 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,212 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Masson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Masson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,212
Census rank
#10,644
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,868 bearers of the surname Masson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10644th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Masson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Masson
The surname MASSON has its origins in France, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It first appeared around the 12th century and is derived from the Old French word "masson," which means "mason" or "stone worker." This occupation-based surname was likely given to individuals who worked as stonemasons or in the building trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the name MASSON can be found in medieval French records and documents. One notable example is Guillaume MASSON, a stonemason who worked on the construction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris during the late 12th century.
As the surname spread across France, it also took on various regional spellings, such as MASON, MAÇON, and MASSE. These variations reflect the local dialects and pronunciations of different areas.
In the 13th century, the name MASSON appears in the records of the Duchy of Burgundy, where it was associated with several families of builders and craftsmen. One prominent figure from this period was Jean MASSON, a master mason who oversaw the construction of the Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay in Burgundy.
The surname MASSON also has historical connections to the Reformation in France. François MASSON, a Protestant theologian and scholar born in 1572, played a significant role in translating and disseminating religious texts during the 16th century.
As the MASSON name spread beyond France, it was carried by immigrants and settlers to various parts of the world. In England, the MASSON surname can be traced back to the 16th century, with records indicating that some French Huguenot refugees bearing this name settled in the country.
One notable figure with the MASSON surname was Frédéric MASSON, a French historian and biographer born in 1847. He was renowned for his extensive works on the life and times of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Another prominent individual was David MASSON, a Scottish philosopher, essayist, and biographer born in 1822. He authored several acclaimed works, including a biography of John Milton and a history of the British novelists.
In the arts, the name MASSON is associated with André MASSON, a French painter and sculptor born in 1896. He was a prominent figure in the Surrealist movement and is known for his abstract and symbolic works.
The surname MASSON has also been carried by notable individuals in other fields, such as Charles MASSON, a British explorer and archaeologist born in 1800, who made significant contributions to the study of ancient civilizations in Afghanistan.
Throughout its history, the surname MASSON has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, from skilled artisans and builders to scholars, artists, and explorers. Its origins as an occupation-based name reflect the rich tapestry of professions and trades that have shaped societies across the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masson
Among Census respondents with the surname Masson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Masson 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 Masson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 2,076
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 305
- Black or African American8.7% · 250
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 124
- Two or more races3.6% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Masson
Masson 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
#11,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,813
+95 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 463 places
2020
#10,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,868
+55 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 592 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,773 | 2,718 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,236 | 2,813 | 0.95 | +95 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 463 places |
| 2020 | #10,644 | 2,868 | 0.96 | +55 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 592 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 Masson 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 | #11,236 | #10,644 | 5.3% |
| Count | 2,813 | 2,868 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.96 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Masson bearers went from 2,813 to 2,868 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 592 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,236 to #10,644.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Masson
FAQ
Masson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Masson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,289 living Americans carry the surname Masson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,212 residents.
How common is Masson?
Masson ranks #10,644 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,868 people with the surname Masson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,289), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Masson.
Has Masson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Masson went from 2,813 recorded bearers to 2,868. That is an increase of 55 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,236 to #10,644.
What does the Census say about the background of Masson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Masson, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (8.7%). 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 Masson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (2,076 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Masson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.4%), Hispanic (10.6%), Black (8.7%). 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 Masson (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 Masson mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a stoneworker, stonemason, or someone who lived in a stone-built house. 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 Masson (0.96 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 are called Masson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Masson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.