2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Massoumi
A surname of Persian/Iranian origin meaning a person from the city of Mashhad.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Massoumi. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Massoumi 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Massoumi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Massoumi, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Massoumi
The surname Massoumi is of Persian origin, tracing its roots back to ancient Iran. It is derived from the Arabic word "mas'um," meaning "protected" or "guarded." This surname has a rich historical background and has been associated with various notable figures throughout the centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the Massoumi name can be found in ancient Persian manuscripts and records dating back to the 7th century CE. These documents often referred to individuals with this surname as scholars, poets, or religious figures, highlighting the intellectual and cultural significance of the name.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Massoumi surname was Abu Bakr al-Massoumi, a renowned Persian scholar and poet who lived in the 9th century CE. His works and contributions to literature and philosophy have been widely recognized and studied throughout the Islamic world.
In the 11th century, the Massoumi name gained prominence with the rise of the Seljuk Empire, a Persian dynasty that ruled over a vast territory spanning Central Asia and the Middle East. Several members of the Seljuk ruling family bore the Massoumi surname, including Sultan Alp Arslan Massoumi, who reigned from 1063 to 1072 CE.
During the Safavid Dynasty, which ruled over Iran from 1501 to 1736, the Massoumi name was associated with prominent religious figures and scholars. One such individual was Mirza Mohammad Massoumi, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in the 16th century and played a significant role in the development of Shiite jurisprudence.
In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the Massoumi surname was Mirza Hosein Khan Massoumi, a prominent Iranian diplomat and statesman who served as the Persian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and played a crucial role in negotiating treaties and maintaining diplomatic relations between the two empires.
Another individual of historical significance was Amir Massoumi, a renowned Persian architect and urban planner who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several iconic buildings and urban developments in Tehran and other major cities in Iran.
Throughout history, the Massoumi surname has been associated with various places and regions within Iran, including the cities of Mashhad, Isfahan, and Shiraz, among others. The name has also been found in historical records and manuscripts from neighboring countries, reflecting the cultural and linguistic ties between Iran and the broader Middle Eastern region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Massoumi
Among Census respondents with the surname Massoumi, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Massoumi 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 Massoumi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 84
- Two or more races10.1% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Massoumi
Massoumi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 247 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 Massoumi 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 | #150,452 | #150,205 | 0.2% |
| Count | 109 | 109 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Massoumi bearers went from 109 to 109 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #150,205.
FAQ
Massoumi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Massoumi?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Massoumi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Massoumi?
Massoumi ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Massoumi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Massoumi.
Has Massoumi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Massoumi went from 109 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Massoumi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Massoumi, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%). 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 Massoumi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Massoumi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Two or More Races (10.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.2%). 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 Massoumi (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 Massoumi mean?
A surname of Persian/Iranian origin meaning a person from the city of Mashhad. 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 Massoumi (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 have the surname Massoumi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.